


The Spectacular Spider-Woman

by GreenBread



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, BAMF Clementine (Walking Dead), Bisexual Disaster Clementine (Walking Dead), Clementine Gets Her Ass Kicked, Clementine's Terrible Life (Walking Dead), F/F, Fluff and Humor, Lee Everett Is Innocent and Must be Protected, Lesbian Disaster Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), Parent Lee Everett, Protective Clementine (Walking Dead), like way too much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24916876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenBread/pseuds/GreenBread
Summary: Clementine had never thought that being bitten by a radioactive spider would flip her life upside down and cause it to take such a dramatic turn, but here she was, watching a drug dealer try and fail at getting his hand out of a web. She approached him and tried aswell. She frowned, the eyes of the mask whirring into a squint.Nothing happened.Did she make them too sticky?
Relationships: AJ | Alvin Jr. & Clementine (Walking Dead), Clementine & Lee Everett, Clementine & Louis & Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), Minerva/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 107





	1. Pilot - 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is an alternate universe I never thought I would write. 
> 
> Anyway, I'm trying my damndest not to make this your typical cliche story that you read and instantly cringe at because your brain turns to mush and the pacing is shittier than 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians'. I probably won't succeed at that but... what can you do? :/

Being back at school after whatever the Hell happened to her was odd. Yes, the spider powers were cool, but the tingling at the back of her head just wouldn't go away, and she had no idea why. It was irritating her. Clementine sighed as she forcefully shoved some textbooks into her locker. When she closed it, Violet was waiting on the other side of the door. The tips of her blonde hair were dyed a light purple.

"Why'd you dye your hair?" Clementine asked, raising a brow. 

Violet shrugged, green eyes shining with indifference. "Felt like it." 

"Fair enough." 

"Oh yeah!" The blonde seemed to shoot up with vigour, her posture straightening. "You hear about what happened at Oscorp?"

"No...? Did Louis tell you? I thought after last time you spilt an Oscorp secret he would've stopped." 

"Dude, it was only a missing spider..."

"A radioactive spider." Clementine helpfully pointed out.

"Details..." Violet brushed off. "Anyway, some guy fell into a vat of electric eels, changed his whole anatomy. His whole body is now just pure electricity. Shit's crazy." She was grinning at her, the same grin she would do when she's excited over something. It was worrying. 

"Are you happy about that?" Clementine asked, bewildered. Students behind the pair kept walking and talking, filling the corridors with life. They soon joined the bustling crowd of students.

"I feel bad for the guy, of course, but it is still cool. Imagine what you could do if you got powers like that."

"Nothing." 

Violet pouted. "C'mon," She ushered. "There has to be something."

"I mean, not really. Why would I risk myself like that? It isn't worth it. Life isn't like those comic books we read." That was a lie. She knew it was. She had spider-powers now, life couldn't be any more like a comic book if she tried. Violet rolled her eyes and walked into class, Clementine hot on her heels. 

They sat down in their seats. The teacher sent her a pointed glance. She was a tall, skinny woman with a pair of rounded specs sitting on the bridge of her pointy nose. Her hair brown hair was tied into a ponytail.

"Glad you're back with us, Everett. Don't take any more days off because of a fever. It is no excuse."

"Sure thing, Miss Opial." Clementine nodded. It wasn't worth it to argue with her. The teacher was like a brick wall, sturdy in her opinions. It took a miracle for her to let Clementine sit at the back. Miss Opial grunted and spun around, pointing her bony finger at the interactive whiteboard. She began to explain the scientific formula on the screen. Clementine paid attention with half-lidded eyes. The tingling was getting worse as the day progressed. It was a dull, throbbing ache. If she was stuck with this for the rest of her tragic life, she was gonna be pissed. She still didn't even know what it meant.

Suddenly, the sounds of shouting exploded behind her ears. No-one else in the class reacted, the argument being out in the hallway, invisible to the other students. Her newly enhanced sense allowed to pick up on stuff she really shouldn't. She could smell what people ate up to three days ago, and her vision had improved massively. Before, she was borderline blind, having debated getting glasses with Lee multiple times. Her mouth settled into a grimace as she recognised one of the voices. Louis. She could hear the wit and sarcasm dripping off his tongue like venom from across the school. A small sigh teetered over her lips. She was gonna have to bail him out. Again.

Her hand shot into the air just as Miss Opial finished explaining the work, her fingers clutching at something invisible. The teacher gave her a curious eye, magnified by the thick lenses of the glasses.

"C-Can I... uh... Go to the toilet?" 

Rolling her eyes, the teacher dismissed her with a wave of her small hand. Glad that the teacher didn't say no, Clementine got up from her seat and left. The hallways were empty, a stark contrast to their usual overcrowding. It was like the set of a horror film. Each hurried footstep was quiet, another change the girl had noticed. She was never a sneaky person and was a bit clumsy, but that had seemed to change. As she rounded the corner, Louis was pinned against the wall, an arm pushing his neck into the brickwork. Two students flanked the large one holding the boy. One was stocky with dark red hair, and the other was your typical kid who thought they were the shit for smoking weed once. To sum it up, he was a jackass.

"What you goin' to do, rich boy? Call daddy?" The one holding him growled menacingly, his blue eyes an ocean of fury. 

Louis craned his long neck, gasping for breath. "I  _ would _ . But you destroyed my phone. Besides," He offered a shrug. "It's not like he would answer anyway."

"I don't blame him." The boy holding him spat. Soon after he spotted Clementine watching, he faltered and dropped Louis; his duster swallowing him as he fell. She glared at the three as they left in a parade of mocking and taunting laughter. She had an undying hatred for the three. It was no secret to anyone attending the school. Clementine had always detested those that put others down to boost their fragile egos. She found it pathetic. How low did you have to go to put others down because of your insecurities? 

She walked over to Louis and crouched beside him. Worry shone in her amber eyes like a flashlight. 

Louis groaned. "Thanks for the help... Very useful." He muttered.

"Sorry for not having supersonic hearing that reaches across the school." She snarked back. "Now get your ass up, you're ruining that overly expensive coat. I can see the disease on it already."

"Har, Har... Very funny." Louis joked back, standing up with a pull from Clementine's outstretched hand. 

"I'm not kidding. I think that guy had genital herpes."

The freckled boy in front of her cocked his head. "I think 'guy' is too generous; more like manchild. That neckbeard is like someone threw a dead bird at him and it exploded."

She barked out a sudden laugh. Louis continued, each word drenched in irony. "Anyway, what were you, little miss five-foot-three, going to do to that jock. The absolute chad of a man. The dude who won't leave any pussy for the rest of us."

"Kick his ass, of course," She answered like it was the simplest thing in the world, a cocky grin spreading across her features. It quickly died, however. "Why were you so late?"

Louis huffed, arms reaching across his chest. "Dad kept me behind for a bit, wanted to show me something. He keeps wanting to get me into the business but... Can I be honest with you, Clem?"

"Yeah, sure. Science can wait. I'll just say I had to take a shit or something." 

He took a deep breath and rubbed his arm awkwardly. "Was kinda hoping you would say no..." 

Clementine looked at him comfortingly. "Look, if you don't want to tell me, don't. I won't force you to do something you don't want to." 

"No, no, it's cool. I want to." 

"You sure?" 

He flashed an award-winning smile. His personality had taken a quick one-eighty turn. Switching like a light switch. "Yeah, I do. Promise." 

"Alright..." Clementine responded, content with his reassurance. Louis had been good at that for as long as she knew him. He had helped her dramatically after the loss of her parents. Violet had too, just not as much. She was never good with emotions, choosing instead to hide and run away from them. The blonde had claimed multiple times that "the only way I'll touch emotions is never, they're a mess and not worth it". 

Louis straightened. "I don't want to be heir to Oscorp. The company... it's... not a good place despite what dad says. Yes, the money is great but... I don't want to be like  _ him _ . My dad is an ass."

Placing a hand on the taller's shoulder, Clementine said, "My own two cents? Don't worry about being like your dad. Who knows? Maybe you could turn the company into something better."

"I get that... I just don't... I don't feel like I could run a company of that magnitude and keep everything corrupt about it a secret." Oscorp's shadiness had never been a question. Everyone in the city knew some illegal stuff went on in there. But it's hard to shut it down when the CEO is also the mayor. 

Clementine hummed, "Maybe make a separate branch? Use Oscorp's money as a backing for it. Do some good for the world. What's your mom's old surname?"

"Maria." 

"Maria. A separate but still connected company. Do what you want. I think she would be honoured by that."

"I..." Louis struggled for words. "Thanks, Clementine. Truly." 

Clementine smiled. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

Her house was small. Between her job freelancing at the Daily Bugle and Lee's low-income job as a cashier, they were barely scraping by. Luckily, AJ's school was close enough to walk, hers, however? The subway wasn't cheap in New York. She walked through the front door and was met with a massive waft of lemon air freshener that attacked her nose like a rabid dog. It was disgusting and felt like breathing in fumes. The smell was enough to scare her back out of the house. 

Lee looked at her curiously. "I thought you liked the smell of lemon?" He asked from within the doorframe, drying a plate with a towel.

Clementine kept coughing, waving her hand in front of her mouth. Trying her hardest to quell the vomit rising up her throat. "Well, not anymore."

He frowned. "What about the orange I packed for your lunch?"

"Fucking vile."

Lee smiled sadly. "Those used to be your favourites. I thought one would cheer you up..." 

"It did, until I started eating it. Threw up over Violet. I think she hates me."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm sure that Violet doesn't hate you." 

"I dunno, man, she was pretty __ pissed."

Lee smirked, bent over and unplugged the air freshener. "Come on in," He invited, "You'll just have to suck it up for a little bit."

She nodded and trudged through the door, if this was why her head was going nuts, she wouldn't be surprised. Clementine instantly pulled a face of pure regret. She'd rather be homeless for the night than suffer through this. Her eyes began to water up, she clenched them shut. It did nothing to prevent the tears from clawing out. 

Lee whistled, "Damn... That bad? Sure you're not a spider?" He joked harmlessly, eyes alight with warmth.

Her eyes went wide as realisation dawned upon her like the morning sun. That's what it was! Spiders hate citrus fruits. If she gained any extra limbs, she was going to castrate Norman Osborn. "I'm pretty sure I'm not a spider, Lee." She rebutted, desperately hiding the truth from her foster parent. She would tell him, just not now, when she was used to it would be the time.

She just wants to be a teenager without the whole freaky powers thing. Is it that too much to ask for? Putting on a fake smile, she continued further into the house. AJ was sat on the couch, watching Tom and Jerry. Her smile turned real as a wave of nostalgia washed over her. She could remember that show, not much though, only her reaction to finally seeing that woman's face. That was the talk of every kid in the playground back in the day.

_ Back in the day?  _ God, she could feel the grey hairs already. Only old white men said that. She was none of those things. 

AJ didn't seem to care. Upon seeing her, he jumped off the couch and bounded over to her, hugging her. Clementine patted him on the back affectionately. "How you doin', kiddo?"

"Pretty good! Lee's making curry tonight!" 

"Yeeesh! My ass is still on fire from the last one."

AJ chuckled as Lee sent her a disapproving look. 

"What?" She said innocently, "It's the truth."

He rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen, balancing the recently dried plate carefully in his arms like a newborn.

"Hey, Clem?" AJ suddenly asked, "Can you help me with homework?" 

"Sure thing, Goofball."

* * *

_"Max! Calm down! We're trying to help you!"_

_"Help me!" Max roared, voice crackling and radiating pure power. He could hear liquid swishing past his ear. "You're the bastards that did this!"_

_"Maybe! But we want to help you!"_

_Max's body crackled inside the rubber bodysuit he had been given. A gift from Oscorp. A temporary way to stop him from killing everyone that touches him. That's all it was, so they could experiment on him. He was a loyal employee for twenty years, he knew how the company worked. He snarled and ripped off a glove, revealing the hand of sparking and crackling electricity beneath. His palm outstretched and the liquid containing him evaporated and exploded._

_"P-please!" A scientist on the floor begged, pleading for his life. Max glared and a stream of electricity erupted from his hand. It hit the man in the chest. The scientist instantly began to convulse, his nerves being burned off and the skin blackening until all that was left was a charred._

_Unfamiliar feeling flowed through him, power and satisfaction. He wanted more, deserved more. It was an unquenchable first._

_He would be lying if he said murder didn't thrill him. He wanted-_

_No._

_Needed more._


	2. Pilot - 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time using Spidey Sense is always rough.

The swing creaked and groaned under Clementine's weight, and the rusted chain holding it up was disgusting to touch. It was flakier than dandruff. The park she, Louis and Violet were situated at was old and abandoned. The city council had done nothing as it rotted away into obscurity. All it was now is a crack den. At all times of the day, drug deals were being made. A hive for criminal activity. It still confused her why they meet up here of all places. Nonetheless, it was easy to avoid trouble. Don't interfere, and you'll be fine. Easy peasy. 

The persisting ringing at the back of her head exploded, and suddenly she knew everything that was happening around her. Violet and Louis were in a conversation talking about who would win between a Xenomorph and a Predator. The drug deal at the opposite end of the park that had just gone wrong. That wasn't what she was focused on, however, instead it was the rusted pole keeping the swing in the ground. It was loose. 

Acting purely on instinct, Clementine shot off the seat as the pole detached from the ground. The swing fell to the ground, a loud crash echoed. Violet and Louis stopped their conversation and gawked at her. 

Clementine silently freaked out. What the Hell was that? How d-did she- What?!

Her thoughts were jumbled and bouncing off the inside of her skull like the sun on a mirror. Erratically she looked around, eyes scanning in quick feverish glances. Her breathing quickened, and her lungs felt like they were burning. A milky white hand brushed past her gaze. It was Violet, her emerald eyes staring at her in concern.

"Hey, Clem?" Louis. That was Louis. She thinks? Was it? She couldn't tell. Too distracted, and everything was too bright. "Did you steal someone's coke?"

He was loud. It hurt. Violet's voice, however, despite how rough, was comforting; the monotone was comforting. She liked stable. "Are you alright?"

Sweat pinched the edge of Clementine's forehead. It was cold in the heat. A welcome change when everything was too...

Too...

Her thoughts were running from her. Clementine didn't like that because she felt stupid when that happens. Everything felt wrong.

Wrong. That was a word Clementine liked. Wrong. What was going on again? She had no clue. 

Violet frowned at the unresponsive Clementine, Louis mimicking her. "We should call Lee," She suggested. "He might know what to do." 

Louis nodded in agreement and brought out his phone. His fingers dashed across the screen, blurring as he cycled through his stored numbers. He finally found Lee and called him. The pair waited with bated breaths as the phone rung. 

Lee picked up, and his voice crackled to life. " _ Hello?" _

"Hey... uh... Mister Everett. Something is wrong with Clementine. She's just... not with it at the moment. Something happened, and she's shut down."

" _ Where are you?"  _ His voice was urgent. Demanding, even. Louis quickly supplied him the address. Violet confirmed what he said.

Lee only took five minutes to arrive. 

"Clementine?" 

Lee? What was he doing here? His voice was comforting, smooth as butter. Desperately, she sought it out. Wrangling for the warmth that it filled her with. The comfort she so deeply desired. She reached out and then...

Everything was back to normal. How it should be. The chirping of birds wasn't loud and obnoxious. The wind didn't feel like being stabbed by thousands of knives. All the senses had died down, and Clementine collapsed onto her knees. Relief. That was all she felt, even as Lee wrapped her in his arms. Relief. 

The brunette just wanted to crawl back into bed and forget everything that happened. Just munch on popcorn while watching the newest season of  _ Lucifer. _ Her foster dad picked her up and carried her back to the car. Louis and Violet tried to follow, but a firm 'no' from Lee stopped them in their tracks. 

The tingling still hadn't stopped, it only got stronger. It was like a drill. It pierced into the brunette's brain.

The engine of the car rattled to life and Clementine could hear it clunk as the vehicle took off down the road. It was falling apart at the seams. Lee adjusted the mirror to look at her, red and puffy eyes included. "So," He tapped the steering wheel delicately. "Mind explaining what that was about?"

She fell further into the seat, watching as the cities' skyline zoomed past them. The traffic was shockingly low for New York. "I...I-I don't know... Everything just got too much, and I couldn't breathe and-"

"Hey, don't stress about it. I've had panic attacks before." 

"That's just it though. It wasn't only a panic attack. I could hear bike engines revving on the other side of the city and... everything was too bright. Still is. It  _ hurts,  _ Lee. And I have no idea what to do about it. On top of that, I've had a killer headache all day."

Lee was silent as she explained everything. Clementine's scowled as she saw Oscorp, and she crossed her arms across her chest. The building was freakishly tall. 

"Then I had that fever where I woke up on the ceiling and crushed a doorknob," She looked at her hands, scared. "What's wrong with me?" She asked, voice meek as their eyes connected.

Lee pulled the car over and turned around in his seat to look at her. They were parked outside of an old pizza place. Lee faltered, trying to find words. "I can't claim to know about anything you're going through but... As long as you do everything in your power, there's nothing to be ashamed about."

Clementine looked at him quizzically, and he sighed. "Did you want to have that panic attack?"

"No..."

"Then, why are you scared? Shit happens, and we deal with it, that's life. Do what you can with what you got."

"That's dumb." She bit back. The words had escaped her mouth more aggressive than she intended.

He shrugged and turned the engine back on. A moment of silence passed as Lee stared at the cars driving past them. "I can bring you back if you want."

"Can we go home? Please." She begged. She just wanted to go to bed and sleep."

"Sure thing, Sweetpea." He smiled.

The walk back into the house was excruciatingly painful. It was like the sun was trying to blind her and the  _ noise _ . It just wouldn't shut up.

Why'd they live in the city that never sleeps again? 

Thankfully, the inside of the house was dark. AJ was at a sleepover so she wouldn't have to worry about him destroying her eardrums. She collapsed onto the sofa, the brown leather was cold and cushiony. The best way to describe what she was feeling would be the cool side of the pillow. Everything was so much better. Lee sat beside her and fingered the TV remote. He looked at her, an unasked question behind his eyes, and she shrugged. She didn't care what they watched.

It was Big Bang Theory. Okay, she could admit it, maybe she did care a little about what they watched. 

Lee saw her glaring at the television, and changed the channel. It was the news, and they were hanging around the outside of Oscorp. Covering an accident. The news reporter was talking about something to do with electricity. Clementine didn't care and drowned it out. The feeling at the back of her head had just increased ten-fold. If it was a drill before, it was a fucking laser now. Her foster dad took notice of her change in expression. 

"Are you okay?"

"What does it fucking look like!" She shouted. She didn't mean too, just this fucking- the fucking headache won't go away! Desperately, she slammed her hand onto the back of her head. It did nothing. She wouldn't be that lucky, would she? Clementine shot up and marched to the door. 

"Where are you going?" Lee called out to her. 

Ignoring him, she clutched the handle. It crushed instantly. It looked like a ball of paper. She groaned and kicked the door, it swung open and hit the wall of the house with a loud bang. The sky was dark, and the moon shone bright. Grabbing her hat, Clementine left. Lee's worried gaze following her through the door. 

Outside was cold, each breath was visible in the air. The teenager hissed at the throbbing pain in her head. A flash of white here and there, hindering her vision. She smacked herself, trying to snap out of it. The brunette ignored the people staring at her and kept walking for what felt like hours. Her feet were becoming sluggish as she finally got to the outside of a corner store. She shouldered open the door to the corner store. She flinched at the sudden, intrusive noise from the bell.

It was loud, and she had to resist tearing it off the wall. The girl clumsily staggered down an aisle. She was on the prowl for painkillers. After a minute of searching, she found them, tucked away in the corner. Swiftly, she picked them up. The box was light, but she could hear the tablets inside rattle as she shook it. Happy that she had found them, Clementine limped to the counter. The tingling had only gotten stronger. She needed them. 

The pills slammed onto the counter, and the cashier, a stocky man with wavy black hair, looked at her in surprise. He rolled his eyes, grabbed the box and pointed at the label. "Sorry, kid. You ain't old enough." 

She glared at him and placed money on the table. The cashier tutted. "Even if you were old enough, that ain't enough."

"Look, man. I have a really bad fucking headache. I just... I just need enough to get rid of it." She was begging. Clementine didn't like begging.

The man's eyes steeled. "Not my problem. Now go. You're holding up the line." 

Clementine glared at him harder. The urge to punch him in that cocky face was rising exponentially. Eventually, she gave up and began heading toward the door when the sound of a scuffle caught her ear. She turned around to see the cashier being pushed to the ground by a shadow. It was another man who had his gloved hand burrowed in the cash register. He was dressed in all black. The robber darted past her and out the door, a bag of money entwined in his claws. 

The tingling increased. 

The cashier ran around the counter and glared at her. "Why didn't you stop him?" He demanded. 

"Not my problem," Clementine smirked. It felt good using his own words against him. The cashier huffed and barged past her, shouting at people to help him. She shook her head, lips pulled upwards. The dick deserved it. As soon as she left the shop, the tingling spiked, like a wave crashing against a rock. 

A bang. 

A gunshot.

It stopped. The tingling finally stopped. Clementine thought she would've felt relieved, but something was telling her something very, very bad had just happened. She ran, following the path that the robber had taken, pushing herself as fast as she could go. She was breathless as she got to where the gunshot went off. 

Lee. It was Lee. Her dad was lying in a pool of his own blood and the criminal from earlier standing above him. He saw her and ran. Her heart fell, and she dived at Lee. The robber could wait. The man was coughing and spitting warm blood. She cradled his head and held Lee tighter, rocking back and forth. Her wet tears crashed to the ground like a hellfire of arrows.

"H-Hey... Don't cry..." Lee tried to soothe.

Clementine shook her head and held the dying man tighter. "W-why'd you-?" She asked, lower lip quivering. 

"I had too... It was the right thing to do... I could stop him... I-I took it."

There was a brief pause in his words. One that Clementine filled with constant crying. 

Lee spoke up again. "And I would do it all over again... If it meant he didn't get away..."

_ That  _ got her attention. She  _ could  _ stop the robber, but that meant leaving Lee alone. Something she didn't want to do. She stood, staring at where the robber went, eyes empty. Her hands were clenched into fists.

"Go... Be a hero, Sweetpea."

She nodded and ran after the robber. She knew the man couldn't have gotten too far. She was confident. That was when Clementine saw it, a man bathed in shadows running up a fire escape. She glared, and like instinct, jumped on the wall. There was too much adrenaline for her to even realise what she was doing. 

Clementine crawled, catching up to the man as he made it to the roof. She vaulted the lip of the building as the man turned around and saw her. "H-How?" He grunted and pulled his gun out once again.

The sound of police sirens flooded the air. They were getting close. The cashier must've called them. 

The sixth sense at the back of her head was back, this time, it took control of her. She dived to the side, her hand planting itself firmly on the roof and kicked off it. She landed as a bullet flew past where she was just standing. The man growled, eyes shining with fury, and shot again. Clementine kept dodging, going over and under some bullets while running at him. She twisted around the final shot and tackled him. He landed on his back, the teenager on top of him. His gun slid across the rooftop.

Clementine could hear the police running up the fire escape. The sound of the metal clanging was unmistakable. She didn't have much time. Clementine picked him up by the neck and held him off the side of the building. It was a long fall, ten stories at least. The man squirmed in her vice-like grip. "P-please..." He begged, scratching at her arm. "I-I don't want to die!"

She held him further off and growled, "Neither did Lee." 

Truth be told, Clementine didn't know what to do. She wanted to kill him, but deep down, she couldn't bring herself to. The teenager refused to stoop down to his level. With a roar, she threw him behind her. The robber slid along the roof, stopping at the feet of a greying police officer. The officer instantly bent over and slapped a pair of handcuffs on him. "Macdonald Gargan, you're under arrest. And you-"

Clementine was gone. Having disappeared into the night before the officer could get a good look at her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this chapter is rushed as Hell, but I just wanna get the boring shit outta the way. 
> 
> Let's face it, we all want her to hurry up and become Spider-Woman so the fun stuff can happen.


	3. Pilot - 3

_**One week later...** _

Clementine shuffled nervously, the tips of her toes hovering dangerously over the side of the building. It was a steep drop and a hell of a long fall before she would hit the ground if her newly created web-shooters failed her. Fuck. She didn't want to do this. Steeling herself, the brunette held out her hand. She could see where she wanted to go. The building opposite her. Suddenly, a web shot out of the piece of tech donned on her wrist and onto a nearby building, scaring some pigeons. 

"Sorry..." She muttered, watching as they flew away in a crazed panic. The teenager exhaled and dropped, clutching the web like her life depended on it. In a way, it did. She swung, the arc was messy and she definitely let go too late. Much to her surprise though, she still landed on the opposite rooftop perfectly. She had landed in a crouch. The overly large fall didn't hurt like she thought it would.

This wasn't on her mind though, instead, her head was filled with an onslaught of emotions. As soon as the swing had started, the fear had evaporated, being replaced by exhilaration. 

As it turned out, she had no reason to be scared. She chuckled, soft and bewildered. It worked. It actually worked! An infectious grin spread across her features. Her amber orbs were glowing with excitement at the thought of doing it again. She enjoyed it, the wind flowing past her and the feeling of weightlessness. It was nice. Soothing, even.

She straightened and stood, prepared to swing once again. Clementine faltered however, she needed to hide her identity. No way was she going to let criminals know what she looked like. A thought popped into her brain. She needed a costume, something to hide her face. The brunette grinned once again and reached for her phone. Her fingers dashed across the cracked screen. She held the object to her ear and waited. It didn't take long. 

"Hey, Lou?" She asked.

 _"Yeah?"_ He replied, curiosity seeping into his voice. 

Clementine spoke once again, "Can I use your lab?"

* * *

Louis' lab was big yet cramped. The room was filled to the brim with all sorts of scientific equipment. A lone piano sat in the corner. She smiled at it. Louis had always loved music. It didn't surprise her in the slightest. Clementine slammed her backpack onto a pristine, white work station and pulled out a bunch of materials. Electronics, red and blue fabrics, everything pretty much required to make something from scratch. 

The materials cost a fortune and dealt a heavy hit to what little money she had. It would be worth it though, she knew it. But... 

She couldn't help but think about AJ. How was she supposed to look after him? She couldn't leave him alone at home all day and she didn't have enough money to pay for a baby sitter. Maybe Vi could help? She liked AJ. Then again, she'd have to explain to her _why_ she couldn't and she didn't want to do that. Clementine was conflicted.

She pushed it aside though and began working on her suit. Deciding to start with the mask, she sketched a design on a piece of paper. Two large white eyes that she could see through and hide her eyes at the same time plastered onto the face. The face itself would be red with a black, web-like pattern stitched across it. 

Happy with the mask, she moved to the upper half. This time she would include some blue, on her sides, her underarms and her back. Everything else would be red though and keep the black web pattern. She hummed and sketched a small black spider onto the chest and a bigger red one on her back. 

Moving onto the legs, she made them primarily blue. The feet and her shins being the only red present. The red, once again, kept the black webbing. A thought crossed her mind. She needed a way to store web fluid on her person. Hurridly, she tacked a utility belt onto the costume. That would do. She thought, a small, content smile on her lips. The suit didn't look too shabby in her opinion. 

Right before she could start, Norman Osborn walked in. His blue eyes widened upon seeing Clementine. He had dark, ginger hair and was clean-shaven. Louis definitely got his looks from his mother's side. Honestly, she wasn't even sure they were related by blood. Might explain why their relationship was so tense. 

"Clementine..." He spoke, shocked. Although it quickly morphed into an easy grin. "What a pleasure to see you. It's been a while!" His arms were open wide. 

"Uh... you too, Sir." 

Norman scoffed. "Oh please, how long have we known each other? It's Norman."

"Right," She gulped as he pulled her into a quick, sideways hug. "Nice to meet you too, Norman."

He let go, sensing her awkwardness. "What are you working on?" The CEO asked, genuine intrigue leaking from his tongue. 

"Oh, just a side project." 

The man nodded, accepting that she didn't want to share. He opened his mouth and paused. "Look... I'm sorry about Lee. He was a great man."

Clementine looked down, "Yeah... He was... Why weren't you at his funeral?" She asked suddenly, switching the conversation on its head. "Louis was there."

"I was busy." The man responded. It was simplistic yet sincere. Like he was honestly sorry for missing it. "Something came up and... I didn't have much of a choice."

"If you don't mind me asking," Clementine said, "What was it?" 

Norman stilled. "Just an accident. Something happened to one of my employees and he wasn't too happy about it. Nothing to worry about. I've sorted it."

She stared accusingly. She knew damn well what he was talking about. The electric guy. Clementine couldn't blame the guy for being upset. She was too for a short while. At least until she realised she could do some good with her powers. The teen wondered what he was doing with his, but that 'sorted it' was suspicious. A man as corrupt, as powerful as Norman Osborn? That could mean anything. 

Louis' dad didn't seem to pick up on her train of thought and placed a hand on her shoulder. The tingling didn't start. She needed a name for that, didn't she?

"I'll be taking my leave now, I've got a business trip to attend to." He spoke slowly. Clementine nodded at him and watched like a hawk as he left, closing the door behind him. She sighed in relief and held her head in her hands. The last thing she needed was Norman Osborn knowing what she was doing. That wouldn't go well. 

* * *

Clementine met Violet's eyes and jogged to her, brushing past other students. Their lesson was due to start soon and she needed to talk to her. Violet smiled at her as she approached. "Hey." The blonde offered.

"Hey," Clementine responded. "I-I need to ask you something. It's important."

"Yeah, sure." Violet blanked. 

"Can you watch over AJ? After school? I'm going to be busy tonight." She was nervous asking the other female. It wasn't that she didn't trust her, it was having to tell her why she couldn't watch AJ. 

Violet nodded. "I'm cool with watching him, it's better than having to deal with my parents." Clementine felt relief wash over her in spades and she instantly relaxed. "Why though?"

She took a deep breath. "I-I can't tell you, n-not yet anyway. I mean... I will but..."

"You want to but just can't bring yourself to?" 

"I-uh... Yeah. Pretty much."

They both nodded and looked away awkwardly, avoiding eye contact. Neither knew what else to say. It was the definition of awkward. 

"We should probably-" Clementine pointed at the classroom. 

"Yeah-yeah we should-" 

"Yeah..." 

Violet inhaled roughly. "This didn't happen."

"What didn't happen?" Clementine responded instantly and walked into their science class. Miss Opial looked at them but didn't say anything. The most surprising thing though? Louis was already there. He wasn't late for once. He was busy reading and trying to memorise the periodic table. Clementine dropped her bag next to her desk. Her suit was in it and she wanted to keep it as close as possible to her. She fiddled with the web shooter on her wrist as the teacher started the lesson. 

The other students in the lesson were barely paying attention. Most were either on their phones, using the desks to hide them or simply talking amongst themselves. 

All things considered, the lesson wasn't that bad. Yes, she knew all the stuff but at least it wasn't boring. Miss Opial had tried to make it more interactive than just sitting there and listening to her talk and talk. Clementine swung her backpack on and right before she could leave, the teacher called out to her. 

"Clementine, Violet. Can you stay behind? I need to talk to you two." 

For reasons unknown to her, dread settled at the bottom of her stomach like dust. She hadn't done anything? Had she? Clementine looked at the teacher curiously and approached her. Shuffling between the desks. Violet joined her, sharing the same curiosity. 

"I was wondering, you two remember that field trip to Oscorp? Right? About two weeks ago." The teacher began, looking between the two. 

Violet nodded. "The one where a spider escaped, yeah." 

"I'm not exactly forgetting that one anytime soon," Clementine added, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow. "Why?" 

"Well, a scientist there, Doctor Conners, was impressed by you two," Miss Opial said. "He's offering you both a paid internship at one of his private labs."

She and Violet looked at each other, surprised. Why would someone of that prestige be interested in two teenagers? Clementine wasn't going to knock it, she needed that extra money. Miss Opial stared. "So...?" 

"Oh!" Clementine jumped. "Yeah, of course." 

Violet nodded enthusiastically. "I'm in too." 

"Great!" Miss Opial was surprisingly enthusiastic. "You start tomorrow."

* * *

Holding her mask, Clementine looked out upon the city, clad in her new suit. New York was glowing and thriving with activity. She slipped the mask on and could barely hear the sound of the lenses whirring, mimicking the expression in her eyes. She took a long, deep and drawn out breath before leaping from the tall building. Clementine plummeted like a rock, the air blowing past her almost skin-tight suit. The wind was noisy, making it hard to hear anything. 

At the last moment, a mere second away from hitting the ground, she shot out a web and swung. Flinging her through the air like a knife through butter. She cheered, laughed and whooped, drawing the attention of bystanders. The teenager threw in a flip for good measure. They watched as she flew around the corner and out of sight. Gone as quick as she came. 

She couldn't suppress her ear to ear grin. Swinging was really fun! Laughing once again as she ran horizontally across another building, this one made up of only windows, she jumped and twisted. She was falling once again.

Flashing red and blue lights in the distance caught her attention. Although annoyed at her fun being ruined. She quickly attempted to catch up with the police car. 

A police officer was holding a megaphone in his large, meaty hands, shouting at the car in front, an old retro thing from the eighties, to pull over. His voice was a thick New Yorker accent. Clementine pulled herself past the cop car, ignoring the man's strangled gasp that didn't quite make it out his throat; she landed on the back of the speeding car. 

"How you doin' fellas?" She taunted, watching closely as the one in the passenger seat reached for his gun. He aimed, shot and missed. Clementine frowned, "Now that isn't a very polite welcome."

The man growled and shot again. This time, her tingle went off. Swiftly, she rolled onto the side of the car. The bullet missed again. "Wow! You need to work on your aim, buddy!" 

Her hand found itself on the door handle. Being extra careful not to crush it, she pulled the door off its hinges. She looked at it and groaned loudly. "Shit! Sorry! I didn't mean to!" 

"D'you ever shut up!" The driver shouted in a thick Texan drawl. He had short, dark blonde hair and was wearing a yellow and brown hoodie. He turned sharply around the corner. Clementine was flung off, dropping the door. She aimed her web-shooters at the back of the vehicle and landed on the car door. Two thick strands shot out and connected to the vehicle. The teenaged superhero was suddenly yanked forward, using the car door as a surfboard. The metal and plastic scraped the concrete, sparks flying off the ground. 

Clementine, now back on the car, having left the door behind; reached into the moving vehicle and snatched the pistol from the passenger's grasp. She webbed the gun to the trunk of the car. 

"Now," She muttered, grabbing the passenger with one hand and pulling him out the vehicle. His terrified face stared into her mask. "How to stop you..."

Forming a plan, she tossed the man effortlessly away. Without looking, a web hit him and stuck him to a building. She slipped into the passenger seat. "Hello, I'm... I honestly don't have a clue," She offered a handshake. "You are?" 

He didn't answer. "Rude..." She huffed, crossing her arms like a stroppy teenager. Being polite wasn't going to work. Plan B instantly appeared. Crawling back out the car, Clementine webbed up the windshield so the driver couldn't see. Instantly, the man hit the brakes and swerved. The car flipped and Clementine found herself struggling to catch the car as it quickly descended upon her. 

"Great plan, Clem..." She whispered to herself. The roof of the car landed on her and the weight caused her legs to give way and buck. Clementine fell to her knees, the car still held high above her head. Awkwardly, she shifted its weight to the side and the vehicle toppled to the ground. It landed on all four of its wheels, perfectly intact. 

Well, almost intact if you included the missing door. 

The police car stopped, a solid five meters away. Smiling, she gave a small wave to the officers and catapulted away, leaving them to arrest the two men. Her first 'proper' crime had been stopped and she was ecstatic about it.

Lee would be proud. She was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a lot of stuff happened in this chapter... If Clem came off as cocky or annoying in this, that is the point. She’s new at the whole super hero business and thinks she is invincible. She is not, as we’ll see later on. 
> 
> Anyhow, bonus points if you can figure out who the driver is. 
> 
> Hint: His real name starts with 'H'.


	4. Shocking Realisation - 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And now we're at arc 2.

Gritting her teeth like a feral animal, Clementine pushed back against the glowing red blade with her green. It didn't work and the teen soon found herself back on the floor and a familiar weight on her stomach. Panic surged through her and in a last-ditch attempt, she flicked her weapon; desperately trying to disarm her opponent and create an opening. Sadly, her attempt failed and the red blade cleaved through her hand. 

She stared numbly at her stump, barely hidden by her sleeve, and sighed. The weight on her stomach finally got off and she sat up to see AJ prancing around the living room like he had won the Olympics, a scarlet toy lightsaber firmly in his hand. Violet chuckled from her position in the doorway. "You two are such fucking dorks. I can't believe you got me to join in."

Clementine smirked. "And to think I beheaded you in the first minute. What a waste of my time." She teased, grinning at the blonde and tossing her lightsaber to the side.

Violet flushed red. "Hey! I wasn't expecting you to become a literal Jedi and flip over me!" 

"Uh-huh, whatever helps you sleep at night." 

The blonde groaned and let off a world-shattering eye roll. "You're a dumbass..." She crossed her arms and began to walk into the kitchen, the chicken nuggets were almost done after all.

"It's part of my charm!" Clementine called out to Violet's retreating form, who flipped her off. AJ was still jumping around happily and she watched, smiling at him when he snapped his neck back to look at her. She shook her arm and her 'cut off' hand emerged from her sleeve. The teenager picked herself up from the floor and sat on the sofa, flipping on the news. Which, as she should've expected, was about her exploits superhero-ing. _Was that even a word?_

It was grainy security camera footage but it was definitely her flipping and shooting webs everywhere. She could remember that fight clear as day. Four thugs had gathered around a defenceless homeless woman, pointing knives and baseball bats at her. Not a very nice way to introduce yourself in her humble opinion. Clementine groaned in annoyance as the news anchor finally gave her a name. 

Spider-Woman. 

"That's a dumb fucking name," Violet said, suddenly appearing beside her, a bowl of chicken nuggets in hand. Clementine had to agree. 

"Could they seriously not come up with something... I dunno... More original?" 

Violet cocked her head. "It may be unoriginal but it isn't wrong. She definitely has spider-like powers and is clearly a woman and I mean..." She whistled. "I would kill to have a body like that."

Clementine ignited red and let out a strangled, choked cough. Violet didn't seem to notice and continued. "I would smash that, no doubt about it." 

The brunette let her head fall into her hands. She was waiting for the ground to swallow her whole. Anything would be better than hearing Violet thirst for her. She asked, fed up, "Are you done?" 

"Why? Are you jealous?"

"Couldn't be farther from the truth, Vi..." She deadpanned, the blush on her cheeks still refusing to fade despite her best wishes. Violet popped another chicken nugget into her mouth, humming as she enjoyed the taste. However - as Clementine was going to reach for one - she slapped her hand away and scowled. Clementine huffed and continued watching the TV in silence. The news never stopping and the anchors theorizing about her origins, who she is and finally why she was dressing up, swinging around the city and fighting crime. 

* * *

The Daily Bugle was already busy on a good day, but now? It was mayhem. Everyone was working their asses off to write a piece about Spider-Woman. Clementine knocked on the boss' door and waited patiently. It took a couple seconds, but he finally shouted for her to come in. Creaking the door open revealed a man in his late forties sat in a fancy leather swivel chair. The side of his hair was grey, leaving the top black and a small moustache sat on his upper lip. Two men were sat on the other side of the desk to him, a large bulky black man and a scrawny white guy with rectangular glasses. Both dressed smartly in a suit.

J. Jonah Jameson laughed, his jaw separating into three and becoming one with his neck. "You mean to tell me that you think she's a hero!" He laughed again, wheezing, even. "That's funny, Robby. She's clearly a criminal! A vigilante! A public menace! She thinks the city is hers to play with!"

The black man, now identified as Robby, held his hands up. "In all due respect, boss, she helped that homeless woman." 

"And before that!" Jameson spat back. "She made jokes with that guy in the speeding car! She ripped the door off just to sit next to him while innocent lives were at stake!" He chuckled. "To top it all off? She made it so he couldn't see. A speeding car, in New York, and the driver couldn't see! You see how much of a disaster that could've been!" 

Okay. Clementine decided. This guy was nuts. 

Robby sighed as Jameson started again. "Why is she on the front page anyway? Who cares?" 

"Apparently, everyone. We sold out."

"Sold out?" 

"Every copy." 

Jameson stared bug-eyed, his jaw open and almost hitting the desk. "Right. Spider-Woman front page with a half-decent picture this time."

"That's the issue," Robby said, "We can't get a good picture. Our photographers are trying their best but they can barely catch a glimpse of her." 

"Awwww, Is she shy?" He mocked, cocking his head like a puppy. Snorting ignorantly, Jameson stood from his seat and looked out the window behind him. He took a puff from his cigarette. "If we can get a picture of a top-secret Stark industries product we can get one of this masked weirdo." Clementine coughed awkwardly and Jameson looked at her curiously. "What?" 

"You... Uh called me, Sir."

He stared at her, lost and confused. Realisation flashed in his eyes. "Yeah, right. Everett, I've got something else for you to do." 

"What is it?" She asked.

"I was gonna have you taking pictures of that accident at Oscorp, but!" The boss slammed a newspaper onto the desk. The front page was a blurry shot of her swinging. "I want you taking pictures of her. Spider-Woman. Because you're the only person I can trust in this building to take a picture that doesn't look its been shoved up a racoon's ass."

Clementine tilted her head, eyes squinting. 

"I'm calling them shit," Jameson reiterated. "Do I have to explain everything to you? Go! The door's right there!"

As the brunette placed her hand around the handle, Jameson called out, "It's push by the way!" 

Clementine would happily admit that she crushed the handle just enough that it would be a struggle to open the door. He deserved it. 

* * *

Clementine sighed, clad in her red and blue suit. Setting up that camera to overlook Times Square was annoying. Now, all she had to do was swing for a bit and the timer she set should take photos of her. Should. Knowing her luck, it probably wouldn't. She ran a hand down her mask and groaned, the glorified selfie was going to be embarrassing. The camera went off and the superhero made a startled "Jesus!" at the sound. Swiftly, she placed a hand over her heart, breathing heavily. 

No-one was going to know about that. Ever. She was gonna bring it to the grave. 

Shaking herself off, Clementine regained her footing before leaping off the building. The feeling of falling was never going to get old. Her hand shot out and she soon found herself flying through the air at breakneck speed. Rounding corners, running up walls, pulling tricks in front of the camera but not making it obvious to the crowd watching her. She did laugh though, especially at the many new yorkers who acted like she didn't exist, instead choosing to take a bite out of their hotdogs and hurry to work. 

She fucking loved New York for its collective "I got more important shit to do" attitude. 

The SWAT vans zooming around the corner did catch her attention though. Thankfully, and much to her surprise, they weren't after her. Clementine knew what she was doing was illegal, in a weird, twisted way. She was doing their jobs for them but... Whatever, the law was the law. 

Suspicious, she chased after the vehicles. Whatever it was, it better be important. She needed to be at Curt Conners' lab in an hour and they were going in the opposite direction. By the time the SWAT team stopped, she could see why. 

A man covered in a rubber bodysuit was shooting stray bolts of electricity out of his hands. The bolts were going everywhere and causing unknown amounts of property damage. That was far from the worse part, dead bodies, still smoking and charred littered the streets. Clementine's heart ached. She should've been there to help but no. She was posing for a camera and people had lost their lives because of it. The realisation hit her like a bag of bricks.

Jameson was right. She was a terrible superhero. 

But she sure as shit was not letting any more people die. Angrily, she zipped onto a lamp post. She glared menacingly as the SWAT team began to try and calm him. It was beginning to work and then one of them called him "Max", ruining the entire attempt. 

Max screamed and shot a stream of electricity at them. Clementine, acting quickly, dragged one of them to the side, causing the bolt to miss. She jumped in front of Max who instantly shot electricity at her. Clementine dived to the side and immediately pulled herself into the air. She aimed and shot a web at his mask and yanked back. The mask was torn off and quicky stuck to a building, revealing a face that sparked and exploded with electricity. He roared and shot again, she dodged, again. 

"Y'know, Maxxy," Clementine shouted, dodging yet another bolt, "This is starting to get really boring!" 

"It's not Max! Not anymore!" He yelled back, still trying to hit her. 

"Oh yeah? What is it then? I can't keep calling you electric guy. That's boring." 

"Electro!" He roared. 

"Electro? Dude, that is the most anti-climactic name I've ever heard. Fucking Livewire would've been better and that sounds like a _Ben 10_ alien!"

Electro's mood suddenly shifted. He grinned, dangerous and sinisterly. For a brief moment, Clementine was confused but it quickly dawned on her, the lens in the mask going wide. He was staring directly at the one civilian still in the area. A little boy, no older than ten. He had a burn scar wrapping around the side of his head. Electro threw his hand out. 

"No! Don't!" She screamed, pulling herself directly into the line of fire, blocking the hit from hitting the child. She fell to her knees screaming in pain. Clementine could feel her muscles convulsing and the electricity travelling through her, sending hot spikes of pain throughout her body. He held out his other hand and a second stream hit her. Her screams of pain amplified as he used the electricity to lift her off the ground. 

Clementine could feel parts of her suit begin to burn off, uncovering way too much skin for her to be comfortable with. Electro pulled his arms back and with a massive heave, she was sent hurtling through the air. In her dazed mind, she barely registered hitting her shoulder on the lip of a building. She careened through it and tried to aim her non-dislocated arm and shoot a web. Nothing came out. The web-shooters had been destroyed by the electricity.

She had enough time to mutter a simple "Shit" before she hit her jaw on another building and fell into a dirty alleyway. Her head rocked against the ground with a resounding painful smack. She wheezed, out of breath from the long fall. Tears built up at the back of her eyes. Clementine spluttered and coughed as she crawled slowly to all fours. Everything hurt. She massaged her bruised jaw, faintly aware of the blood gushing out the back of her head, staining her hair muddy red. 

Standing on shaky legs, Clementine reached over to her dislocated shoulder and promptly pushed it back in. The quick burst of pain was enough for her to cry out and clutch helplessly at the wall. A desperate attempt to stay standing. Clementine covered her mouth as she coughed and quickly winced upon seeing blood laying in her hand like a puddle. She took her first step and instantly fell to her knee. A thin line of blood dribbled out her mouth and through her gritted teeth, Clementine tried to stand once again. It didn't work and she scrambled onto the floor once again, the edges of her vision were going black. 

Rolling onto her back, Clementine stared at the grey sky, watching as specks of light rain that quickly turned into a downpour began to fall. Unable to fight back the darkness any longer, she barely recognised the familiar figure of dreadlocks stood at the alley entrance. She reached out her weak, shaky hand and collapsed. The darkness finally consuming her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof... Poor Clementine...
> 
> And yes, I pretty much stole JJJ from the Raimi films but sue me. He’s the best JJJ and I don’t think I could write him properly.


	5. Shocking Realisation - 2

Clementine's eyes cracked to life, her amber orbs squinting at the bright, white light above her. She was still in her ruined suit, sans mask. The sound of a piano drifted loosely into her ears. It was soothing. She groaned and covered her eyes, the light too bright to keep them open. Wherever she was, they sure had comfortable beds. Her head was also wrapped with a blood-soaked bandage. 

Electro. She needed to stop him. Clementine shot up but the sudden sharp stab of pain in her ribs stopped her. The dull throbs at the back of her head weren't helping. She gasped, surprised. The piano stopped. 

"Welcome to the land of the living. Did you enjoy your five-hour long nap?" 

"Louis?" Clementine uttered before grinding her teeth together irritably. "I'm late for my internship, aren't I?"

He chuckled and soon appeared in her line of sight. They were in his lab. "Yep, all though I don't think that's your biggest concern right now. Two cracked ribs, a broken jaw, which has healed remarkably fast may I add, and I had to dislocate your shoulder again. You set it wrong. On top of all that, getting you here was awkward as Hell."

"Why?" She asked, holding a hand to her stomach.

"Let's say you were more naked than you were covered and leave it at that, yeah? I couldn't get you back without touching..." He coughed awkwardly. "Anyway, you're here now so that's all that matters."

She nodded slowly, digesting his information when he suddenly spoke again.

"Does anyone else know?" 

She shook her head. 

"AJ?" 

"No." 

"Vi?" His pitch picked up.

Silence. 

"Were you going to tell anyone that you were parading around the city fighting New York's infamous criminal underbelly?"

More silence. 

"Great." He huffed and fell into his seat that was placed carefully next to her bed. His ran a hand through his long dreadlocks. "Why?" 

Clementine blinked, confused. "Pardon?" 

"Why do you do it? You never were someone with the greatest moral compass." 

She frowned. "I... L-Lee, I guess? He said something to me before he... and it has stuck with me ever since." 

"What was it?" 

Clementine inhaled deeply and shuffled in her bed. "If you can do something to help, do it. No matter what." 

Louis nodded. "Powerful stuff." He offered with a simple hand gesture. 

"It isn't word for word. Just what I got from it."

Louis nodded slowly and helped Clementine get to her feet. Placing a hand on the small of her back as she clutched the rails of the bed in a deathly strong grip. He panicked slightly upon seeing the crushed rail.

Clementine picked up on it. "Wha- Oh... Sorry, I still haven't gotten control of it yet." 

"What is it like?" He asked, ignoring the destroyed handrail like it didn't even exist. "The powers?" 

She hummed, deep in thought. "I haven't actually tested it all out properly yet. I know I can lift a car pretty easily. I caught one with minimal effort. I haven't tried sprinting yet. The wall climbing is really cool. There is one I'm not sure about though."

"It... It isn't laying eggs, is it?" 

Clementine glared at him, a scowl on her tanned face. "I fucking hope not."

Louis breathed freely. "Alright good." 

"It's... uh... a tingle? At the back of my head. It. alerts me of danger and things like that but... It also lets me see everything in super intense detail. Like everything around me. It's weird and kinda cool at the same time."

"Was that what happened at the park? When you had that panic attack?" 

"Sort of, it was mixed with a sensory overload as well," Her brow furrowed and she spoke to herself, "That wasn't nice." 

"I know I sound like an idiot here," Louis interrupted, "But what is a sensory overload?" 

Clementine winced as she took another step. She paused for a brief moment, as if trying to figure out what to say. She bit her lower lip, deep in thought and hummed, "All my sense have been increased tenfold so it overloaded me. Back at the school, when those three were bullying you? I could hear it. I can hear your heart beating as well." She pointed at Louis' chest.

He sent her a concerned look. The pure definition of worry. 

"You're heart is fine, Lou..." She rolled her eyes. "Idiot..." 

Grinning sheepishly, he threw her a spare, oversized and blue faded hoodie. At her confused look, he explained. "You might want to hide that suit, at least a little bit." 

She ah'd and started to slip into the old clothing, her injured arm refusing to raise above her head made it difficult though. Having successfully put the hoodie on, she took her web-shooters off, leaving her wrists bare. A foreign feeling to her. She held a busted web shooter to her eye and frowned. Completely and utterly useless now. She turned to face Louis. "What happened to Electro whilst I was on my beauty sleep anyway?"

"He ran away. The rain was hurting him too much." 

"Makes sense. I'd imagine it would be painful." She sighed. "Look, I'd love to stay and chat but... AJ is probably worried and he can't exactly look after himself." 

Clementine's carefully disguised wince escaped Louis' attention and she limped over to the elevator. Louis sent her a small wave as she punched in the button to call it up. Louis called out to her, "Want me to make a second suit? I promise I won't botch it up."

"Uhhh..." Clementine walked into the elevator. "Sure, if you want to. I'm not gonna stop you."

"Alright cool. I'll get to work then."

The superhero pulled the hood up as the brightly lit elevator descended, casting a shadow that hid her face. Just in case anyone recognised the legs of her suit. She still needed to get her camera...

Shit.

The rain had destroyed it, hadn't it? Clementine slammed her head into the wall, ignoring the pain that blistered forward throughout her aching body. Today had started great but quickly shifted into a nightmare. She didn't even show up to her internship, AJ has been alone at home pretty much all day, her camera had been destroyed and she got her ass kicked by a guy made out of electricity, breaking her web-shooters. Oh yeah, and her suit was ruined. 

"My life's a fuckin' tragic comedy..." 

* * *

Clementine slammed the door to her house shut with a loud bang and a heavily exerted grunt. She was dripping wet and quite frankly? She wasn't in a very good mood. Her fears about the camera were true and the rain had only gotten worse. The clothes in her backpack were ruined as well. Thankfully, she hadn't worn her hat that day. 

Small mercies she supposed. 

The lights in the house were all off. AJ musta gone to sleep early. Limping into the living room, she swiftly collapsed onto the sofa, not bothering to change. She was too exhausted. Mindlessly, she flipped the television on. It was some child cartoon that AJ had been watching earlier this morning. A smile cracked on her face at the slapstick comedy of the show. It was childish, she knew, but her sleep-deprived mind couldn't care. It was funny. 

Grunting at being too hot in her hoodie, she pulled it off her head and gasped as her shoulder protested by sending a sharp jolt of pain into her. She still wasn't used to it. The partly charred spider-suit still clung to her tiny frame. How long had she been wearing it? Too tired to care about the consequences of sleeping in her spider-suit, she drifted off to a dreamless and deep sleep. The TV acting as a comforting background noise. 

"Clem?" 

She startled awake and soon found herself on the ceiling. Her ribs erupted into pain and she quickly fell off, landing back on the sofa, groaning shallowly. Amber eyes scanned the room to see AJ staring at her, mouth agape and eyes equally wide. She whispered a swear as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Smoothly, she got off the sofa and limped over to the kitchen. Exploring the nearly empty cabinets carelessly. She hummed thoughtfully and held a can of beans above her shoulder. "Want beans on toast? It's kinda all we have." She asked groggily, turning around to face the child. 

AJ was still staring at her, amazement in his eyes. 

"Goofball?" She paused. "I know beans are fucking amazing but..." 

"Y-You're-" He stammered. 

"I'm...?" She cocked her head.

"Spider-Woman. Y-You're Spider-Woman." He finished excitedly. Clementine frowned and looked down. She was still in her suit. Well, sort of. The suit wasn't exactly without holes or tears. She resisted slapping herself for being so stupid. "You saved Tenn's life!" 

"I-I did?" She blinked dumbly. 

"Yeah!" AJ nodded his head rapidly practically skipping over to her. "With that electric guy! I was there!" 

Her eyes widened. "What were you doing there? I thought I told you to ask me before going out. New York isn't a friendly place." She hissed, fully awake now.

"Don't blame me! Blame Tenn's sister. She took us out." AJ almost but entirely begged. He was still excited though and brushed off Clementine's concerns. 

"Is she in the house?"

"Yeah!" 

"Why in the fu-" She breathed, calming herself down. "Where?"

"Sleeping. In your room." 

Massaging her temples, Clementine asked, "Would you mind grabbing me some clothes from my room then? I can't go in there with this thing on." 

Nodding once again, AJ took off and thundered up the stairs. Leaving Clementine alone with her thoughts and a pounding headache. It only took AJ a couple minutes to grab her clothes. He tossed them at her, crumpled up into a ball. She let off an exasperated thanks and walked around the corner, hiding herself as she changed. She heard the stairs creak and she instantly slid her spider suit under the fridge. Clementine walked around the corner only to come face to face with a redhead. She was much taller than her. 

"Oh, Hi." The other female said. 

"I guess my house is open to everyone, yeah?" 

"It would seem so. Someone had to watch over the kids and you weren't exactly here to do that," She scanned her, "Were you in a fight club or somethin'? You look like shit." 

"Kids?" Clementine ignored her. 

The redhead reached past Clementine and grabbed a bagel, taking a bite out of it. "Tenn!" She called. 

Clementine shook off her stupor. "Can I at least know your name? If you're just gonna let yourself in." 

"No." 

Clementine glared and crossed her arms. "I wasn't asking."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Minerva." 

"Right, Minerva, out." She shooed.

"I'm not your damn dog." Minerva snarled.

"You're acting like a bitch so I'm going to treat you like one. Out. Before you shit on my carpet." 

Minerva glowered at the smaller and humphed indignantly. She turned and left the house. Clementine looked at the staircase to see Tenn looking at her. The scar on his face more prominent in the light of the house. 

"Thanks." He said quietly. At Clementine's confused look he explained. "I recognise your voice and I can see your costume under the fridge."

She smiled warmly. "Perceptive, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah!" AJ exclaimed. "Tenn's an artist!" 

She watched as Tenn rubbed the back of his head abashedly. 

"You're welcome, kid. Just... Just don't tell anyone." She finally said. Tenn nodded at her and soon left. Following his sister.

AJ turned to her. "What's your problem with Minnie?" 

Clementine sat down on the sofa, falling further into it. AJ sat next to her. "Oh, you're on nickname basis? Moving a bit fast aren't you?" She teased. 

"Hey!" AJ swatted her. "Seriously though. What is it?" 

The brunette took a breath to think. "She's a stranger in my house and she's acting pissy about me wanting to know who she is. Doesn't scream trustworthy. Then she was acting like she owned the place."

AJ snuggled into her, grabbing at her navy blue jacket. "In her defence though, she's probably spent longer here over the weekends than you have. You're never around."

Clementine barked out a short, sudden laugh. "You cheeky little-" She sighed. "I deserved that." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much happened this chapter other than some more characterisation and laying the seeds for future arcs. 
> 
> Anyhow, there is a decision to be made. In terms of her suit. Does Louis make a Spider-Gwen suit or Spectacular Spider-Man suit (Basically your standard suit but with webs under the arms)? What one do you want?


	6. Shocking Realisation - 3

Clementine held her hand up to the door and knocked with bated breaths. This was going to be uncomfortable and awkward. She was at Conners' lab, a whole day late. Her muscles were still sore. The door opened and Curt Conners was stood there wearing a long-sleeve lab coat to hide his prosthetic arm. She tried her hardest not to stare. He had blonde hair that sat upon his head like the bristles of a paintbrush and deep blue eyes. They widened in shock. 

"Clementine?" He whispered.

She grimaced. "Yeah... Hi..." 

"Are you alright?" He asked, completely ignoring her. 

"What?" She faltered. 

"Come in, come in. I was just finishing up," He placed a hand over her shoulders and directed her into the building. She could smell how clean it was. Unlike Louis' lab, everything was ordered neatly. It was also really bright. Wincing under the intense brightness, she fished a pair of sunglasses out of her denim jacket and slipped them on. Her increased senses came with some downsides after all. Curt practically pushed her into a seat and began examining her closely. 

"Dude," She started, "What are you doing?"

"No offence but you look like you've been hit by a train," He answered instantly. "Is this why you didn't come in yesterday?"

Clementine huffed and sunk further into the seat, "Yeah... It was... It won't happen again, I promise." 

"Good, also," Curt said, "I have to ask, sunglasses indoors?" 

She shrugged. "It's bright and I have a headache."

He chuckled and left her alone. "Valid point." 

The brunette watched as he sat on the other side of the table and begin to analyse a vial of green liquid. She stared curiously and Curt soon picked up on it. 

"I'm testing the results of mixing the DNA of a lizard with the DNA of a human. It is rather interesting."

Clementine got up and walked to the other side, Curt didn't seem to notice her now virtually non-existent limp. She peered over the scientist's shoulder. "Why?" She asked. 

Curt froze. He slowly reached over to his prosthetic and touched it. "I... I want to see if it is possible to regrow parts of ourselves, our bodies. Like how a lizard can." 

Clementine nodded as Curt continued to speak. She moved out of the was as he straightened and rotated in his office chair, turning to face her. His eyes had saddened. 

"Clem, If I can do this, there won't be a need for prosthetics. I won't need this," He moved his robotic arm and twitched the fingers, "thing anymore."

Her amber orbs watched as Curt looked down, a depressed squint hidden neatly behind his spectacles. 

"Have you- Have you met my wife?" 

"No... I don't think so." 

Curt nodded and look at the door, he raised his hand to his lips and yelled, "Martha!" 

No sooner than he said this, the office door swung open and a woman walked out with a freckled boy attached firmly to her hip. Her hair was a faded and burnt orange, bordering brown. It was long and flowing, reaching just past her small shoulders. She smiled, open and inviting at Clementine who waved back. The boy, still clutching her leg, stared at Clementine. She could see the burning desire to ask a question behind his pools of light blue. The brunette cocked her head, prompting the blonde boy to speak his mind. 

"Why are you covered in chocolate?" He asked her, not with any ill intent, just genuine curiosity. 

Clementine stared at the boy, slackjawed. Martha hid her face in shame and Curt looked like he wanted to disintegrate on the spot. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to suppress the grin that was threatening to burst. Shudders rose through her chest and she couldn't contain her laughter any longer. The laughing exploded from within her and she soon found herself rocking her head back, slapping her knee. She wheezed. 

Curt breathed easy and soon relaxed, glad that Clementine hadn't taken offence. He chuckled softly although Martha remained mortified. "Billy!" She shrieked. 

"N-No! D-Don't... Don't bother..." Clementine struggled to say, tearing up from her laughter. She wiped them away. "It's fine. Honestly."

Martha looked at her hesitantly before looking at Billy, "Don't ask stuff like that ever again, yeah? It's not nice. Be grateful Clementine isn't offended easily." 

Billy huffed and rolled his eyes, "Yes, mom."

"Don't worry. Child curiosity I get it. You should've seen me before Lee adopted me. The first thing I asked someone else at the orphanage was 'where are your parents'." She smirked, "Got a broken nose for that." 

* * *

"Louis?" Clementine called out, opening the door to his lab. Gazing around the room she saw him sleeping on a desk, dark bags under his eyes. She smiled. He must've been working on it all night. Louis groaned sleepily as she poked him in the arm. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the bottom of his chair and lifted it above her head. Louis snapped awake and let out a startled swear. She smirked and dropped the chair, making it bounce a little. The male placed a hand over his heart and started to breathe heavier. 

"Jesus... Don't do that again. I like not having shit-stained pants."

"Is that why you always wear brown? So we can't tell the difference?"

"Shut up..." He muttered, "I finished the suit by the way."

Clementine nodded, "Yes. You mentioned that in your text... It's kinda why I'm here..."

Louis' mouth formed an 'O' and he shot up excitedly. Clementine put a hand on her waist as Louis rushed back in with a grey box with a black lid. He sent her a look and she flicked it open. A red and blue suit sat there, similar to her old one but different at the same time. The colours were brighter and webs lay forgotten under the armpits. The black of the lens was thicker too, allowing for more dynamic movement. It was a definite improvement. "That's not all," Louis said. "I added some insulation and heat resistance to it and the web-shooters. Just don't take a direct blast and you should be good."

"I... uhh... Thank you, Louis." She smiled warmly. 

"No problem, I was going to add comms to it but... I would just be a distraction in a fight." 

She nodded, accepting his reasoning despite how absurd. "Mind if I...?" 

Louis waved his hand dismissively. "Go ahead, I won't look." 

Clementine hurridly slipped into the costume, taking off her clothes and hiding them under a desk. It was a bit tighter than her other one but honestly, she didn't mind. It would be harder for someone to grab her now. The lenses fizzled to life and blinked. She grabbed her web-shooters and attached them to her wrist. The familiar feeling flooded her and she suddenly felt safer with the technology on. "Done." 

Louis instantly swivelled around. "lookin' good." He complimented and tossed an Ipad at her, "Here, catch." 

She caught it and looked at what was being displayed. It was a map zoomed in on a specific warehouse. "What's this." 

"I crossed the data showing where electrical surges were with a satellite. I eliminated any place already with a high electrical charge. That's the highest remaining one. It's close enough for Electro to flee to after your last fight." 

She grinned at him. 

"That's where Electro is. Go get 'em." 

* * *

Clementine pushed open the window to the warehouse and peered in. It was pitch black. She rolled through the opening and landed on the cold floor in a low crouch. Critically, she scanned the room. there was nothing, just endless hordes of shadows that descended upon her like zombies. Everything was silent except for the sounds of small crackles of electricity floating in the air as if it were mini tendrils of lightning. She winced as a wave of static washed over her. 

Electro was here, just hiding. She watched in silent fascination as the rain thundered heavily against the window and a crack of lightning ignited the room in a blinding flash. She didn't see him. Where was he? Suddenly, her spider-sense kicked off like the shot of a gun. She rolled to the side and electricity slammed into where she just was from above. Craning her neck up revealed Electro hiding in the rafters. 

"You son of a bitch, you were there the entire time?" 

He ignored her and shot another blast. She rolled to the side again and webbed to the ceiling. Clementine glared at him and ran at him, sidestepping the bolts that snapped against the chilly air of the room. She shot a web onto his face and frowned as the glowing crackles burned it off instantly. Shooting her webs either side of him, she pulled herself forward, planting her two feet on his chest. She felt a small wave of electricity wash over her at the contact. 

Electro fell out of the rafters and hit the ground with a thud and a small groan. Clementine landed next to him and as she prepared to deliver another blow he shot off into the air and careened through a window. She stared, not moving. 

"You fly?!" Her voice cracked. Moaning irritably, she yanked herself through the window in a red and blue blur. Clementine could see the water fizzing and popping as it hit Electro's skin. She slid along the ground and into the middle of the road. Parked cars littered the street like strewn newspapers. Electro raised both his hands and a shockwave erupted with the force of a volcano. The vehicles lifted off the ground, a small string of threatening yellow holding them up. 

He was controlling them. Shifting them with his electricity. Small glimmers of a lightning ran around the car's bodies. Clementine jumped high into the air and twirled as a car hurtled towards her. She planted a hand on its trunk and pushed forward, running along the doors of another. She jumped through a small gap that quickly closed as the two vehicles making the hole slammed together, scraps of metal and plastic flying everywhere. Crawling over the top of another car that hovered above Electro she clutched the bumper, ignoring the shocks that made her nearly jump out of her skin. 

With a force she didn't know she had, she slammed it on top of him, crushing him under the weight. Her eyes widened as they travelled through the hard tarmac and into a sewer tunnel.

It smelt horrible. Grotesque. The shin-high sewage water didn't help either. Electro pulled himself from underneath the car and floated dangerously at the end of the tunnel, stopped only by metal bars. Without hesitation, he shot at her and she soon attached to the wall. Now avoiding the grasps of whatever was in the water, she ran, jumping onto the roof of the pipe to avoid another blast. 

"Bet you're loving my improved suit, aren't you, Shocky?" She taunted, sliding down the pipe to avoid the electricity.

He ignored her, "Just die! Leave me alone!"

She glared daggers at him, the lenses reflecting her mood. "Sorry, man, you've murdered people. Not how this works." 

"They had it coming!"

She jumped to the top of the pipe, electricity coursing through the water. She fell off and rolled in the sewage, kicking off the ground and sending them both through the grate. Electro rolled down the steep slope on the other side and straight into the deep murky water. He screamed in pain. He had never experienced pain this bad before, not even in the accident that had changed him. Clementine landed on his back, pushing him deeper in the water. 

Her spider-sense warned her to jump off and jump off she did, just in time to avoid the plume of electric water that erupted and exploded over the sewer walls. Electro lay on the ground where the liquid used to be, his skin not glowing as much as it used to. He was weakened and unconscious. Grinning, she grabbed him and rocketed out of a nearby manhole. The civilians gasped in shock as she webbed Electro to the ground. Being extra cautious to keep him away from any electricity. 

She didn't want him getting his powers back. 

* * *

The police had arrived pretty quick in all honesty. Clementine observed them slam Electro into a specialised cell designed to contain him. Supplied by Oscorp no less. Thoughts raged in her head. Was Jameson going to slam her for this too? Would that police officer stop looking at her when he thinks she isn't looking? Would Electro trail back to Oscorp? 

Probably not. Osborn was the mayor after all. She frowned. The corrupt mayor was going to find a way to sweep this under the rug, she knew. Wasn't anything she, a broke seventeen-year-old, could do about it though. Static emerged from her right ear and she swatted at her mask. The electricity had fried some of the circuits. Nothing she couldn't fix on her own though. 

The insulation had saved her hide in that fight. Still, it didn't help how much her body ached.

None of that mattered though. She sniffed and cringed in disgust.

She needed a shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the majority went for the Spectacular suit and if I’m being honest, that one probably made the most sense.


	7. Grave - 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I don't say this much, but you guy's support means so much to me and I feel like I should at least say that once. Even if it makes me super uncomfortable. 
> 
> I honestly have a super tough time with being proud of the stuff I make and/or do and I wanted to take some time to say thank you. So thank you, it means a lot to me.

Clementine yelped as a table careened over her head and smashed into the wall behind her. A bar fight. She, dressed in her suit, was caught in a bar fight. Her spider-sense kicked off and before she knew it, a pair of thick burly arms wrapped around her midsection in a bear hug. Grunting in surprise at being lifted off the ground, Clementine used the momentum to stick her feet on the ceiling. Immobile, the man let her go and swung a punch at her head. She ducked to the side. 

Glaring, Clementine caught the second punch and shot a web onto his face. She dropped and delivered a powerful kick to the man's sternum, catapulting him across the room and into the two people having a sword fight with broken bottles. They all fell to the ground like dominoes and lay unmoving. A pile of groaning bodies. She webbed the three to the ground. Turning she could see a man charging at her, unable to react, he rugby tackled her to ground. She raised her arms as the man tried to pummel her head into a mound of dust. 

Her knee shot up into the drunk's groin. He keeled over instantly and began rolling across the floor like a giant baby, his hands between his legs. "Ya didn't have to burst ma nuts!" He screamed, spit flying everywhere. Clementine rolled her eyes and plucked the beer bottle flying at her effortlessly out of the sky. She reared her arm back and tossed it at the woman who threw it at her. 

She was knocked out instantly and Clementine winced. That was gonna leave a Hell of a bump. Scanning the bar revealed that the fight was over. A pile of people there, a pile of people here. People everywhere. The brunette pinched the bridge of her nose, rocked her head back and let off a loud groan. How did she even get involved in this? 

Oh, yeah, a drunk man being tossed out the window. Perfectly normal. She eyed the bartender staring at her, amazement in his eyes. His brown hair was tied neatly into a man bun and signs of a tattoo crept up his neck like snakes. 

"Hey, uh..." She placed her hands on her waist and straightened, the lens of the mask squinting. "C-Can I have a drink?" 

"Sure. Beer? Wine? Whiskey? Tequi-" 

"Coke." She interrupted. 

"Coke?" 

"I'm underage." She stated simply with a wave of her hand. The bartender nodded and reached into the fridge behind him and yanked out a bottle of coke. He tossed at her and she caught it without looking. Flipping the lid off with her thumb, she pulled the bottom of her mask up and brought the liquid to mouth. The cold rushed down her throat and she sighed in content at the feeling. She needed it. "Thanks." 

She waved goodbye and launched out the shattered window, scaling a nearby building. Clementine sat on the lip and took another sip. She had lost some of the delicious liquid but couldn't be bothered to care. It wasn't like she paid for it anyway. A pigeon hopped over to her and stared curiously. Clementine offered the bottle and the bird flew away. She snorted, "Thought so."

Suddenly, her phone flashed in the pocket attached to the suit. She unzipped the seemingly invisible zipper and pulled the technology out. Violet. She brought it to her ear.

 _"Hey, so... I was wondering..."_ Violet asked, her voice sounded like it was far away, " _If you wanted to hang out? Just us two."_

Clementine gazed at the city and contemplated it. The city would be fine for one night. Surely. It didn't need her twenty-four seven. That would be ridiculous. "So a date then?" 

She could hear Violet blushing on the other side of the phone. " _N-No!"_ She stammered. _"Not-not a date, I mean, unless you want to?"_

Now it was her turn to blush. "It depends. Will it end in sex?" 

Violet groaned and probably let off one of her iconic eye rolls. " _Keep it in your pants, Clem... Anyway, Johnny's? In an hour?_ " 

"The pizza place?" 

" _Yeah, the pizza place. Best pizza in the city hands down._ "

"Ehhh..." Clementine opposed, cocking her head and taking another sip of coke. "Benny's is pretty good." 

" _Only because you're a fucking glutton and will eat anything if it's more grease than food._ "

She chuckled. "You know me so well, Vi. So... date or no date."

_"I-I mean... I guess...?"_

"Okay." 

" _Okay? You actually mean that?"_

"Yeah..." Clementine could swear she could hear Violet laugh giddily in the background. 

" _Shit. Never thought you'd say that,"_ More unbelievable laughter. "So, yeah, see ya in an hour then, Clem." 

Clementine nodded dumbly and then realised that Violet can't see her. She stammered out a simple "Y-Yeah... See you then." 

The phone clicked and the call was ended. Clementine brushed a hand down her face. Fuck. That was awkward. Why did she ask if there was gonna be sex? Resisting the urge to launch herself off the building and to her death, Her attention was immediately brought to a small steel door, two men clad in black hoodies were trying to bust it down. Clementine pulled the bottom of the mask down, concealing her face fully. The brunette shoved her thoughts aside. She placed the bottle down and hopped off the building and landed silently behind them.

"Hey boys." She said casually, "Breaking and entering is illegal, you know that, yeah?" 

"So is dressin' up and playin' hero," A mysterious masculine voice behind her responded. Clementine turned, he was bathed in shadows but the crack pattern running across his forehead was obvious and stood out like a beacon. Two grunts flanked him, knives in hand. "The big man has a proposition for ya. Join him or..." He laughed. "Well... I don' have to explain. Someone with your... skillset... would be incredibly helpful for the boss." 

She glared. "Who's the big man and what does he get out of this?" 

"That's need to know and all you have to do is turn a blind eye on any and all occasions he chooses." 

"Then the answer is no." 

"I couldn't persuade ya with money?" 

"Afraid not. I'm poor but not that poor." 

He huffed and retreated further into the shadows. "Well then, boys, get her. I was expectin' this. 'specially after Electro." 

The grunts charged at her and she backflipped over one and onto the alley wall. She webbed one's back and attached him to the wall. He struggled but it bore no fruits. He was stuck. Clementine landed on the dirty ground. Her spider-sense kicked in but before she could react a punch connected with her cheek. The blow was delivered by the mysterious figure, who was now donning a pair of white gauntlets. She went flying into the wall. 

The man bent over, picked her up and headbutted the superhero. White exploded behind her eyes and she staggered back, stunned. A stabbing pain exploded in her leg and she looked down. A knife was plunged in her thigh. She brought a shaky hand to it and winced. Rage fueled her and she launched a kick with her good leg, catching a man in the jaw and rocketing him upwards, not caring if she killed him. He was knocked out instantly. 

She whirled around and dealt a devastating blow with the back of her closed fist, sending the grunt sliding along the brick wall. A trench formed on the wall from where he slid. She turned to see the mysterious figure getting into a black car, the final grunt in the driver seat. She ran to catch up and instantly fell to a knee, the pain too much. Clementine looked up and the car was gone. 

Standing, Clementine reached to the knife in her leg and her jaw clenched as began to painfully pull it out. She knew it was a bad idea but she had to meet Violet in about fifty minutes and she couldn't damn well do that with a knife in her leg. She could feel the muscles clench tightly around the blade as it slowly left her body. Thick drops of warm blood oozed out of the hole it left behind. Gritting her teeth, she webbed the wound shut. It wouldn't hold for long but it was the best she could do. 

She examined the blood coating the seven-inch blade and quickly discarded the weapon by throwing it in a nearby bin. The brunette hobbled out the alley and quickly swung away. 

* * *

Clementine pushed open the pizzeria's red door and stepped inside. The smell of pizza wafted into her nose and honestly, it smelt way better than that dingy alley. She analysed the room and found Violet sitting in the corner playing with the purple tips of her blonde hair. Her green eyes were shining with worry once she saw Clementine limping her way. She was scanning her bruised face. Clementine slipped into the seat opposite the blonde and sunk into the chair. 

"Are-are you okay?" Violet asked timidly. 

"Yeah... I-I just... Fell down the stairs. That's all."

Violet's eyes creased at her suspiciously. "Really?"

"Really." She replied shortly. 

"If you say so..." Violet seemed to buy her story and continued. "Did you see that security footage?" 

"Of...?" Her pitch picked up and she raised a curious brow.

"Spider-Woman and Electro fighting. It was really cool." 

"Oh... That. No, I didn't. I was there though. The Bugle wanted pictures and I did get them."

"Cool! Can I see?" 

Clementine winced. "I've already handed them off, sorry, Vi."

Violet blew a raspberry and deflated in her seat. "It doesn't matter. I'll just buy a copy of the newspaper then. Why do you work there? Jameson is a dick. He's taken ever possible opportunity to drag her name through the mud." 

Clementine shrugged as Violet took a bite out of her pizza. "It pays the bills." 

"Barely- are you bleeding?" 

"What?" 

"Your leg, it's bleeding." 

"It is?" _The webbing must've dissolved._

"Yep. That wasn't from falling down the stairs was it?" 

Silence. "I stabbed myself." 

"You stabbed yourself?" Violet practically shrieked. 

"Making a sandwich." 

Violet glared at her, unimpressed. "You are fucking clumsy aren't you. Why haven't you gone to the hospital?"

"Can't afford it. Besides... I'm fine." 

"No, Clem, you're not." 

"I am, honest. ' _tis but a flesh wound_." She quoted. 

"Sure. The black night said that and he was missing all of his limbs." 

"Yeah, but he was immortal. I," Clementine pointed to her self, "am not."

Violet sighed and rested her head in her hands heavily. She mentally counted to ten and then gestured for Clementine to get up. "If it's bleeding you've patched it up wrong, I'll do it."

"You know what you're doing?" Clementine asked sceptically. 

Violet shrugged her coat on. "No idea, but it can't be worse than what you did." 

"You make a compelling argument." 

Violet grinned. "Damn right I do." 

* * *

"I'm beginning to regret this decision," Clementine announced, wincing. The pain killers Violet had given her weren't actually doing anything. She ground her teeth together as the sharp needle painfully pierced her skin. 

Violet rolled her eyes. "Shut up and let me focus. You stabbed yourself."

"And it's not every day that a woman is between my legs so forgive me for enjoying it," Clementine watched as hints of a blush rose Violet's cheeks. A sharp pain ignited from her thigh. "Ow!" She yelped. 

"You deserve it. You made me blush."

"Ah yeah, that unforgivable sin. My bad, your majesty. Anything I can do to repay you?" 

"Shut up." 

This time Clementine rolled her eyes but did as she was told. Violet humphed in satisfaction. As Clementine went to speak Violet instantly cut her off. "No." 

Closing her mouth, Clementine relented and let Violet operate in peace. She scanned the room and Violet's house was definitely on the small side. They were in her bedroom which is somewhere Clementine didn't expect to be on the first date. Violet's room had a corner desk with a gaming computer set up on it. The blonde had insisted that Clementine get one herself but with money being as tight as it was and now with her swinging around the city at night. She couldn't afford it.

Maybe she should've taken the money? 

No. Who was she kidding? The last time she had turned the other way Lee had died. She wouldn't do that to someone else. Never. Violet picked up on her conflicted expression and looked away sadly, delving into to stitching up her leg instead. Clementine could see the thoughts at the forefront of her mind. Violet had never been good at consoling or things like that, she would try, she always would. She just didn't have the know-how. 

Clementine couldn't blame the blonde for it. Her parents divorce had been rough on her, despite her claims otherwise. She could see the sad looks that Violet would send upon seeing families playing together at the parks or eating ice-cream while laughing. She was never jealous though and maybe. Just maybe, that was why Clementine liked her so much. Violet wasn't petty or rage-fuelled like herself. No. 

She was just kind. 

Clementine could deny it all she wanted but she didn't become Spider-Woman because she wanted to help people. She did it out of revenge. Revenge at the criminals that had taken Lee from here. Revenge at the world she supposed. It was like what Lee would say.

"Life can be utter shit at times, but it's how you deal with that shit that counts." 

Violet paused. "What?" 

"What?" 

"You just said-" 

"That out loud didn't I?" 

Violet nodded and Clementine sighed.

"I was just thinking about Lee that was all. He... It was one of the last things he said to me and I threw it in his face. He was right though. He always is," She squinted, as if she was looking at something far away, "Then I killed him." 

Violet sent her a worried gaze and Clementine continued. 

"The robber, I could've stopped him. But I didn't. I let him go because I was being petty. The cashier wouldn't let me buy some painkillers for my headache and... Then the bastard robbed him and shot Lee."

The blonde's emerald eyes softened as the brunette sniffled. She rested a hand on her good leg. "Clementine... It wasn't your fault. There wasn't anything you could do." 

"How would you know that?" She looked at Violet, immediately more alert. Something dangerous twinkled behind her amber orbs.

"You couldn't have known anything that was going to happen." 

Clementine lowered her gaze to her stitched up leg and flexed it. The danger in her eyes had dissipated. "I should've..." 

"No, Clem... You couldn't. You can't control time."

She snorted. "I wish."

"Well, you can't. I'm ordering Chinese. What do you want?" Violet asked, walking to her computer and swapping off Steam and onto some random website. Red text splashed up on the screen.

"I...uh... I guess the... What are the noodle things they do called? I haven't had Chinese in centuries."

"Chow mein?" The blonde called back before murmuring to herself. "God, this place has such a shitty website. Who puts desert first. Hell, who has desert from a Chinese place anyway." 

"That's it! Yeah, chicken chow mein." 

"Great." Violet clicked a few things. "Done. Should be here in about... Twenty minutes? That's faster than normal." 

"Awesome." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Much. Dialogue. 
> 
> Anyway, those of you familiar with Spider-Man PS4 and The Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon will know two of these characters. One of them is actually my favourite villain of all time and I really wish he makes it to the big screen. The dude's a badass.


	8. Grave - 2

Fifteen-year-old Violet stared at the mirror of her parents' bedroom. She could see the lost look in her green eyes followed the ghosts of a smirk that almost teased at the end of her lips. Her parents were... having some time apart. She didn't know why it was so funny. Because it was unexpected? Maybe? Or she was just a disturbed person that found joy in sadness. 

The blonde was confused as she felt her mother's hand rest shallowly on her shoulder. If they still loved each other why were they having some time apart? It didn't make sense. According to her mother, it was because they had "grown" and that their old spark had been "extinguished". They weren't getting a divorce. Not yet anyway, but the percentages weren't in their favour. Her father was holding himself up by the doorframe, his bald head shone with the morning sun. His blue eyes were distant. 

"It's just..." Her mother said, trying to comfort her, "We don't want it to affect you." 

"It won't." She tried to confirm, her mother gazed at her, analysing her for any sense of a lie. 

The woman didn't find it and just said a quiet "Okay." before retreating her hand away. Violet shuffled awkwardly as their dog, Rosie, jumped onto the bed and asked for belly rubs. Violet complied, accepting the distraction, and began rubbing. A tongue lolled out the dog's mouth as the pitbull sighed in content. Rosie had a dopey face at the best of times but now she just looked silly. The blonde smiled. 

"We're not sure if you noticed, but we-" Her dad quietly spoke. 

"I noticed." She didn't. Not in the slightest. Maybe if she spent time with them, she would've. 

Her parents' face fell and she felt horrible. Why did she lie about that? Mentally scolding herself, Violet cocked her head to see Rosie's stupidly happy face. What was with dogs being oblivious to everything?

It was an awkward couple of minutes and the silence stretched and stretched, smothering the three like a heavy blanket. Eventually, Violet stood and left the room, skulking around her dad's presence at the door and onto the ugly mint and brown carpet of the landing. She pushed open her door and shut it behind her. It clicked and she let out a long-held in-breath, rocking her head against the painted white door; it flattened her mop of blonde hair.

When she woke up this morning, she wasn't expecting this. Not in the slightest. 

* * *

They were at Clementine's house now, huddled together on the leather couch. Violet's head rested comfortably on Clementine's collar bone as they silently watched _Friday the 13th._ The blond sighed and Clementine looked at her curiously, amber orbs worried and brow furrowed. 

"You alright?" The brunette asked, cocking her head to get a better look at Violet. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," A pause. "We're moving a bit fast, aren't we?" 

Clementine frowned at that, unsure what to say. 

Violet continued. "Like, a couple hours ago we had our first... _whatever_ you want to call that disaster of a first date... And now we're snuggling on a sofa, a mere fucking breath away from sex." 

Clementine snorted. "Doesn't sound too bad to me. I'm not exactly an expert in the field but..." She coughed awkwardly and Violet grinned. Apparently, Clementine did have some shame after all. "Still, you get the point, I'm not exactly against moving fast but if you want to take it slow that's fine by me." 

"Yeah... My parents took it fast and you saw how that panned out..." She shifted slightly, staying in the hug, "If I'm being honest, I don't think I was planned. They just sorta rushed into fucking each other and forgot to use protection."

"Vi..." Clementine said, disapprovingly. 

"What, it's the truth." 

"... And how'd you know that? You could be planned and even if you weren't... I like you the way you are." Clementine finished softly, resting her head on the blonde's. Violet could feel the warm blush travelling up her cheeks and she prayed the other girl wouldn't notice. She had been doing that a lot around Clem, hadn't she? Her emerald eyes found Clementine's slightly parted lips and God if they didn't look tempting. 

She looked away quickly, ignoring the even more red blush before looking back, staring. 

Fuck it. 

Violet pounced and her hands found themselves on Clementine's shoulder and their lips slammed together. She fell on top of Clementine who let out a surprised muffled gasp before melting into the kiss herself and letting her hands roam freely down the blonde's body. Violet's spine shivered at the feeling of the brunette grabbing her waist. They separated, a thin trail of saliva still connecting them and rocked their heads together. 

"Taking it slow are we?" Clementine teased before connecting their lips once again. 

Violet giggled giddily, "Sure you can keep up?" She responded, a tinge of huskiness entering her voice. She ran a hand under the hem of Clementine's shirt and went bug-eyed. "You have abs?!" 

Clementine laughed. "Yep, I started working out a couple of months ago, remember?"

"Nope, but I don't care either. If I had known I would've jumped on you sooner."

They kissed again and rolled onto the floor, Violet on the bottom. "Are-are you sure about this?" Clementine asked, their faces millimetres apart. 

Violet pecked Clementine's mouth. "I'm sure." 

"Good," She replied and hastily picked Violet up, who wrapped her legs around Clementine. "Let's take this upstairs."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." 

* * *

"What's in it for me? More importantly, _who_ are you?" Norman inquired, leaning back in his brown and expensive leather swivel chair. He stared at his laptop screen, where a pale man with sharp knife-like teeth was in a video call with him. 

"I'm... what do they call me... Tombstone. I've grown quite fond of that one. Others simply refer to me as The Big Man." His lips cracked into a dangerous grin, "As for what's in it for you... An infinite supply of human guinea pigs for your more... illegal experimentations. In all due respect, we both know what happened to Maxwell was no accident, Mr Mayor." 

Norman smirked like a Cheshire cat. "And in return, I keep the spider busy from interrupting your... Activities. Seems like a good deal."

"I do sincerely hope you take it, Osborn. Your chances of winning the second election are at stake. Wouldn't want to lose all that power now would we?" 

The mayor glared. "I'm in. I want the spider out of my city."

Tombstone rubbed his hands together. "I'll send you your first batch tomorrow night, two people. One Alexander 'O' Hirn and one Flint Marko. Two petty thieves that have accumulated quite a large debt. This is how they'll fill it. Good luck, Mr Osborn, I'm sure they'll be in good hands." 

"Right..." He muttered as Tombstone ended the call. Norman ran a hand through his hair and groaned, slamming his head on his desk. What had he gotten himself into? 

* * *

"So...?" Clementine started, hiding under the duvet and staring at the ceiling. She could feel the sweat that was making her body clammy.

"So...?" Violet echoed from beside her, she too was naked and sweaty under the covers. 

"Taking it slow, eh?" 

Violet rolled her emerald eyes and punched the other girl in the shoulder. "Shut up..." She muttered, not really meaning it. 

"You don't regret it though, do you?" Clementine questioned, an odd amount of insecurity seeping into her tone, a far cry from her usual confidence. She turned to look at the blonde. 

"No, No I don't," Violet responded instantly, looking back at Clementine. 

The superhero breathed easy. "That's good, that's good. I just thought-" 

"First time?" 

Clementine cringed. "It was that obvious?" 

"Mine too, don't worry about it," Violet assured, clutching the brunette's hand and smiling. For the first time since Lee died, Clementine felt happy and that everything was going to be okay. 

"I'm-I'm going to sleep," She said suddenly. Violet's eyes lingered on her, confused. "I'm tired." 

"Jesus, we only did one round." 

"And I'm tired. Rub one out or something if you're still pent up." 

"Cuddling with you will do." Violet murmured, draping her arm over Clementine's midsection and humming in content. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus, this chapter is short. Anyway, this is the closest I'll ever get to writing smut. This was already uncomfortable enough to write as it is.


	9. Grave - 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Oh boy, here I go exploring sensitive subjects again!"

Clementine yawned and stretched in her bed, untangling herself from Violet's arms. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up, wincing at the morning sun that filtered through the haphazardly closed blinds. The naked teenager quickly walked over to the wardrobe that sat alone in the corner of the room and grabbed an oversized tank top and a pair of grey boxer shorts. She slipped into them and with a final parting gaze at the blonde in her bed, she left the room; closing the door quietly behind her. 

Sluggishly, Clementine wandered down the landing and into the bathroom. She splashed water onto her face and ran a hand through her hair, exposing the faded scar that Electro had kindly given her after tossing her into a building. She stared at her reflection in the shiny surface of the mirror, her amber orbs darted over her appearance. Blowing a raspberry, she deflated. To put it bluntly, she looked like shit. Her hair looked like the Tasmanian Devil had fought Godzilla and clear, dark and definite bags sat under her eyes. 

Eventually, Clementine snatched a comb and began sorting the mess that she reluctantly called her hair. She grimaced as the comb found a particularly tight knot. Done combing her hair, the brunette plucked a toothbrush from its container and squirted a fat dollop of toothpaste on it. 

Sighing at the horrid smell of mint, Clementine began brushing her teeth. It tasted horrible and the teenager vowed to avoid anything to do with mint. Maybe she could buy that bacon flavoured toothpaste that she saw on eBay the other day? Pushing the plan out of her mind, Clementine sucked the vomit-inducing feeling up and continued brushing. 

Now finished brushing her teeth, she filled a glass with water and swished it around inside her mouth before spitting it out. Watching silently as the disgusting concoction washed away like a river. She stared into the mirror once again, she looked... better? She wasn't too sure if she was being honest with herself. 

Slightly miffed that her usual route of refreshing herself hadn't worked, she descended downstairs to see AJ waiting for her. He was dressed in his school uniform and tapping his feet impatiently. 

"What is it?" 

"School started an hour ago. Both of ours." 

Clementine stared at the child, completely dead inside. She slapped her forehead and groaned loudly. "Fuck! Why didn't you wake me up?"

She bolted back up the stairs and barged back into her bedroom, startling Violet awake. The blonde looked at her, alert and confused. "What's goin' on?"

"School. It started an hour ago." Clementine said, AJ appearing beside her. 

Violet instantly pulled the covers further up. "Shit... J-Just... Let me get dressed." 

AJ squinted accusingly. "Why are you naked in Clem's bed?" 

The two females froze and went red. Clementine coughed awkwardly. "I-It's nothing, AJ.'

"Doesn't seem like nothing. What is it?" AJ prodded. 

"... Did Lee tell you the birds and the bees?"

"No...?" 

"Then you're too young to understand it." 

AJ deflated, "Fine," He grumbled, turning around to go back downstairs. Halfway down the stairs, he called out again, wagging his finger. "You better tell me when I am old enough though!" 

"We'll see!" Clementine called back over her shoulder before turning back to Violet. "Get dressed, I'll meet you at school. I'm gonna swing AJ by his first."

"Oh-Okay." Violet stammered, watching as her girlfriend? -Maybe? Violet wasn't sure- disappeared around the corner of the door frame. She heard sounds of a struggle as Clementine poked her head comically back into the door frame. She was struggling with something that the blonde couldn't quite see. It looked like she was struggling with putting pants on though. She noticed a hint of bright blue although it was gone as soon as it appeared. 

"Keys are on the counter by the way. Would you mind locking up behind you and leaving them under the mat?" 

"I- yeah sure. Can you close the door though?" 

Clementine winked. "You got it." 

The door closed and Violet stared silently and slack-jawed, letting the covers drop. What just happened? 

* * *

Clementine hopped down the last five steps effortlessly and slid her mask over her face. The familiar sounds of whirring echoed as the lenses adjusted. AJ gawked at her. 

"C'mon," She ushered, opening the door, "I said I was going to swing you by, no?" 

AJ's face shifted into a wide grin and he fist-pumped, practically vibrating as he followed her through the door. 

"Hold on tight, kid. This is gonna get bumpy." She said as AJ jumped onto her back and draped his arms over her shoulder. Clementine quickly webbed his hands together. "Sorry... Not risking it. Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" AJ exclaimed excitedly. It was contagious and Clementine soon found herself grinning too. She shot a web to a nearby house and ran along its roof, jumping off and onto a row of cars. She hopped from car to car, ignoring their honks. Living in the suburbs didn't give her very many ways to get around. 

"Sorry..." She muttered at a particularly vulgar man. Eventually, she jumped into the air and shot a web at two neighbouring building. She used them to slingshot herself and cut through the air like a knife, she twisted and swung off a lamp post and into the sky. 

Finding a tall enough building to swing from, she attached a web to its lip and pulled, running a hand along the building itself as she ran across it. She winced at AJ's excited cheers. Clementine leapt off the wall and swung. They had finally made into the city that never sleeps. 

"Enjoying yourself?" Clementine asked.

"Yeah!" AJ shouted back, it was a struggle to hear him over the sound of the wind charging past them. "Is that all you can do?" 

"Oh?" She took a moment to grin devilishly, "Challenge accepted!" 

She rounded the corner, letting her legs swing wildly and propelled upwards, spinning. She shot out two webs either side of a yellow crane and pulled herself through the gaps in its frame, twirling. Afterwards, she planted her hand on the railing of a nearby fire escape and launched through it, shooting out a web at the last possible moment from touching the ground and swinging between two trucks, almost grinding her ass on the road. AJ clung to her tighter and screamed. "Okay! I take it back! Please don't do that again!" 

"You sure? I mean, I don't think that was good enough for you?" She teased, now in a constant and steady pace. Going from skyscraper to skyscraper. 

"Yes! Yes, it was! It's scary!" 

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," She tried to assure. "Sort of... This is my first time with a passenger after all."

"Are you sure this is your first time?" 

Clementine faltered and just about caught herself. She spluttered, "W-What do you mean by that?" 

AJ smirked. "You weren't exactly quiet last night and Lee _has_ taught me the birds and the bees."

The brunette was sure that AJ could feel her embarrassment.

"I'm not dumb, Clem." He finished. "I just wish you were quieter. I wanted to sleep." 

"R-Right... I'll keep that in my mind if we..." 

"If...?" AJ questioned. 

Clementine sighed. "I don't know what me and Vi are, kiddo. Friends with benefits? Girlfriends? A one-night-stand? I'm not entirely sure." 

"Shouldn't you know?" 

"I wish I did." She paused. "Growing up sucks. Don't ever do it." 

AJ snorted into her shoulder. "Noted. How far are we?" 

She hummed thoughtfully. "Just a couple blocks away." 

"Alright cool." 

After another minute of swinging, the pair arrived at AJ's school. The playground was deserted and children watched the two through the windows, their noses squashed against the glass so much that they looked like pigs. Clementine landed on the ground gracefully and hurriedly ripped the webbing holding AJ's hands together off. AJ slipped off her back and onto solid ground. 

AJ's face scrunched up into a ball. "I don't wanna do that again. Ever." He grounded out through gritted teeth. 

Clementine softly chuckled and placed a hand on her waist. She replied cheekily, "Then wake me up next time and we won't have to, yeah?"

Suddenly, a door barged open and the principle came barging out, stomping across the playground furiously. Her high heels clicked on the dirty concrete and her hair was tied into a neat bun. She turned to Clementine and glared, "What is the meaning of this?" 

"Oh, he got lost on the way so I dropped him off." 

"Lost? I don't believe you." The principal bit. 

"Look, Lady, I don't know what your problem is but I recommend not grilling my perfectly sculpted ass."

"You know damn well what you did." The principal snarled, snatching AJ's hand. "We're going." 

Clementine glared at her retreating shadow and offered a small wave to AJ, who waved back. AJ's eyes widened as the principle yanked him harder.

What was that about?

Her phone pinged and she pulled the cracked object out. It was a notification. Her face pulled into a grimace she read the alarming text. 

_King Lou: Help asap, school._

_Spider-Clem: ???_

_King Lou: Idk what's happening, there's gunshots_

_King Lou: I'm scared, Clem_

_Spider-Clem: Omw_

Clementine frowned. School was ten minutes away. That might not be enough time. Nevertheless, she had to try. Her friends were in danger, people were in danger. Fuck. For once in her life, she wished Louis was pranking her. 

* * *

As it turned out, Louis was not joking. For a noisy city, it was eerily quiet around the school. Police cars drowned the street in flashing red and blue lights. The tranquillity was soon shattered by a screaming gunshot, followed immediately by another. She exhaled through her nose in a futile effort to calm herself down. It didn't work and Clementine soon found herself glaring at the building from the lampost. Cold settled over her skin like dust and she stilled and flinched as another shot tore through the sky like paper. 

Her classmates were in there and here she was, watching the building like it was going to accomplish anything. The teenager steeled her nerves and with a mighty leap, she landed on the roof of the school. Quickly, she clambered to a nearby skylight. She attempted to lift it but no avail. She sighed and ripped it off its hinges. The glass shattered as it hit the roof beside her. Clementine dropped down into the long and empty hallway. 

She tried a door, locked. That was good, they were able to start lockdown. Clementine stalked down the corridor, clutching to the sides and hiding in the shadows. Her finger limply drifted past a year group photo. Thoughts rushed through her head. Who would do something like this? Why would someone do something like this? 

Her heart ached for the families that have inevitably lost loved ones today but she wasn't going to let any more die. Not if she could help it. 

She stopped after sneaking around the corner. It was a massacre. Bodies -children- littered the hallway, each and every one riddled with bullet holes. Splats of blood decorated the white walls like wet paint. She bit back the tears that threatened to show. She knew some of these people. Ate dinner at their houses, chatted with their parents, attended their birthday parties.

Her lips drooped before settling into a deadly straight line. She could mourn them later. She had a job to do. To stop the sick fuck who did this. Her resolve now strengthened, Clementine marched down the narrow corridor, avoiding stepping on the bodies. The lights flickered above her, casting the face of her mask in a menacing shadow. 

A gunshot. A scream of pain. Clementine sprinted, rounding the corner like a demon-possessed. A hoodied figure was towering over a boy with a bleeding wound in his leg, the barrel of his assault rifle pointed dangerously at the kid's head. 

"P-Please!" The kid on the ground begged. "I-I didn't do-" 

He was silenced by his brains being blown out the back of his head and onto the cold floor. The figure spoke, his voice sounded oddly remorseful. As if he hadn't just murdered a child, "Exactly. You didn't help. Just hid your head in the sand like you always do. I... I didn't want to do this, Jake. I was left with no other choice." 

"What'd you mean you had no choice?" Clementine interrupted. "You didn't have to fucking shoot anyone!" 

The figure snapped around, spinning to look at her. his hood covered his face. He aimed the gun.

She glared, "Try it, I dare you. See how that works out for you." 

The gun clicked and Clementine smirked.

"You weren't keeping count, were you?" 

The shooter ejected the magazine from the rifle and slammed another into it. He looked back up only to get pounced on. Clementine grabbed him by his hoodie and hauled him up. 

"Get up! Who are you! Why would you-" 

The hood slipped. It was a kid. Dirty blonde hair dripped into his blue eyes and his face was twisted into fear. She dropped him, stunned. Her question had been answered. 

"... Oh my God..." She muttered solemnly.

He had snapped. Simple as that. She knew him. It was Johnny. The kid had never been treated nicely, constantly being bullied. 

"I-It... It's just too much! They keep beating me up! Every single day..." He curled into a ball, hugging his knees and crying, defeated. Clementine watched him sadly, "I can't take it, I just can't take it anymore. It's too much... It's too much..."

His words dissolved into quiet, repetitive muttering as he cried and cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... This is probably as serious as I'm going to get with this. This is meant to be mostly light-hearted fun.


	10. Grave - 4

Clementine sighed from her position upon the SWAT van, watching intently as a pair of cuffs were slapped around Johnny's wrist. Images of dead bodies flew and flashed at the back of her eyes. They were her classmates and they were gone. Just like that. Gone in an instant. Their lives shattered and ruined and robbed because of one bullied kid and his dad's assault rifle. She leered as Johnny was pushed extra roughly into the back of a van, the doors slamming shut behind him. The officer who cuffed the student slapped the side of the van in quick succession. Prompting the driver to take off down the road. 

"Hey... uh..." The officer said, looking up at her, "You can go now... We got this." 

She looked down at him, "It's a tragedy, isn't it?" She laughed bitterly, "The kid who bullied him the most isn't one of the dead ones. No. The kids who did nothing to him are dead." 

The officer looked away, "Yeah... Still, he shouldn't have done what he did." 

"Oh, I'm not defending him," She stated, "I think he's to blame. I just think we should look at what caused this to happen. Shitty gun control, Bullying... All of this could've been easily avoided."

The officer shifted awkwardly, "What-What happened in there?" 

Clementine looked back at the school, the lens of her mask static. "Dead children filling the corridors, blood staining the walls, a kid getting his brains blown out." 

"That's horrible." 

"It is. S'why I'm not going anywhere until this is sorted. I want to check if everyone's alright. Loads of people died today. Families have been torn apart. I should've been here sooner." 

"... And who's going to check on you?" 

"I'll manage."

"Look... If you need anyone to talk to, I'm available."

"Yeah... What's your name anyway?"

"Davis. Jefferson Davis."

Clementine nodded and gestured to the school, "Did you know anyone who...?" 

"No... My son, Miles, he goes here but... He wasn't on the casualties list. A part of me is relieved but it feels wrong. Why is my son still alive but everyone else's is dead?" 

"He was friends with the shooter," Clementine supplied, "He stood up for him, always." 

Jeff squinted accusingly, "You seem to know a lot about the students here." 

Clementine stayed silent. 

"You go here, don't you?" 

She continued to stay silent. 

"I'm sorry, kid, I truly, truly am." 

"I should've been here. I slept in. I could've stopped anyone from dying. This is on me."

Jeff averted his eyes, "None of this is your fault." 

"No-" 

"Zip it. I'm talking," He looked back at her, his eyes burning with passion, "You couldn't have prevented this. You may have superpowers but no-one could predict this. You can't let the guilt consume you. The moment it does, you lose yourself."

She nodded somberly, accepting the cop's advice. "You sound like you're talking from experience."

"I've seen it happen. My brother, he... He isn't on the good side of the law. He blames himself for what happened to our dad but it wasn't his fault. He's a good guy but he resents himself. He punishes himself for something he had no control over." 

She hummed, "I won't pry."

"Thanks. I should get going. Paperwork isn't going to do itself." 

"Alright. See ya around." 

With a small wave, Jeff was gone. Having climbed into his car and taken off. Clementine sighed once again. She needed to find Louis and Violet. Softly, she landed on the tarmac of the road and analysed the bodies of pupils. Some crying into their parents' shoulders, others acting like nothing happened. The effects of the day was still present on them, hanging over their heads like a terrible headache. Her amber obs located Louis and Violet. They were deep in conversation. 

She jogged over, ignoring the looks that many sent her way. "How you guys holdin' up?" 

Violet answered, "I wasn't here but... I guess pretty well; all things considered." 

Louis, however, just got up and hugged her, resting his head in the crook of her neck. She raised her arms in surprise before placing them slowly on his back. "Thanks..." Louis muttered. 

Clementine placed her hands on his shoulder, pushing him away so she could see him. "Are you alright?" 

"Yeah, yeah, It's just... I was so scared. I saw you take him down. I was in the class to the side. We were all going to be next." 

She averted her gaze to the floor. It was infinitely more interesting. The way the slabs of concrete pathing mixed with the road. 

"Oh yeah!" Violet exclaimed suddenly, "Louis. And... you...? I guess. Meet Minerva." 

That got her attention. Clementine's neck snapped back up again and low and behold, Minerva was stood there panting. Her cheeks red from exerting herself and beads of sweat rolling off her face. 

"She's my girlfriend." Violet supplied as Minerva wrapped her arms over the blonde's shoulders. Violet's grin didn't quite reach her ears and she swiftly pulled herself away from the sideways hug, much to Minerva's chagrin.

... 

What? Clementine's brow furrowed. She and Louis shared a surprised look. She was confused and ever so slightly heartbroken. What? 

* * *

"Can you believe this!" Clementine vented, marching around Louis' lab. She turned to him, sans mask. "Did that night mean nothing to her?"

Louis shuffled uncomfortably. "I... I mean... Maybe? If I'm being honest, she didn't exactly look comfortable around Minerva."

"Still! She should've told me or something! I've turned into the bad guy now. Violet cheated on Minerva with me!" 

"While that may be true. You had no idea Violet was already taken. Hell, this more Vi's fault than it is yours. She could've easily stopped anything before it happened. She chose not to. That has to mean something, right?" 

Clementine sat down, resting her head in her hands. "I... I dunno, Louis. This whole situation is a mess." 

"You want my advice? Even if it's is probably going to be the worse advice you've ever heard."

"... Go for it. I'm open to ideas to solve this clusterfuck." 

"Tell Violet that you know about Minerva," Before Clementine could protest, Louis interrupted her, "The key to all relationships is trust and open communication. If you hide something it's bound to fail." 

Clementine chuckled. "I guess it's failing then. I'm not telling her about," She pointed at her suit, "This." 

"You want it to work, don't you?" 

"Of course I do but... I don't know if it should. It feels wrong. I'm effectively stealing her from someone else."

"Have you talked at all since then?" 

"No."

"Then sit down and talk to her about it. Ask her what you are. If you're together or not. All that." 

Clementine groaned. "Fucking love triangles." 

* * *

Clementine swung, the moon shining on the city. She didn't want to talk to Violet, not yet. She needed time to process things. Distracted by her thoughts, she didn't react to her spider-sense. Suddenly, she was catapulted into a building by a wave of sand. Grunting, she peeled herself from it. Looking around revealed nothing. What was that?

Her senses blared and she dodged to the side, a mallet of sand colliding where she just was. Her fingers dug into the side of the building and she crawled up. Reaching the lip, she yanked herself around it. Two men were stood on a helipad. One was encased in an armour suit made of concrete, a single horn lay on his head. The other, as the wind revealed, was made of sand.

She squinted, "What do you want?" 

Rhino grinned. "The spider squashed." 

"Right..." She hummed to herself. "No. I don't want that." 

"Well," Sandman responded, "That's a damn shame."

He flicked his wrists and his hands morphed into large mallets, the grains of sand slowly slipping off. She crouched. A beat of silence passed and all three exploded forward. Clementine ducked under Sandman's first swing and brought her hands up to catch Rhino's punch. It didn't work and she was sent flying across the roof. She planted three fingers into the ground and slid to a stop. She looked up and Rhino was charging at her, his head down; showing off his dangerously sharp horn. 

Using a web, she pulled herself to the side and narrowly avoided the charge. She jumped as a wave of sand travelled under her. She webbed either side or Sandman and pulled herself down feet first. She careened through him and hit the roof. Hard. She rolled and jumped again as sand once again rushed at her. This time, it followed her up, hitting her in the back and sending her towards Rhino. He plucked out of the air by her neck and slammed her into the roof, sending them both through it. 

The office building was thankfully empty. A hand grabbed her ankle in a deafening crunch. She cried in pain, the bones in her feet being crushed by grasp. Suddenly, she was lifted. Clementine stared at Rhino's face. "Could-Could you put me down? This is uncomfortable." 

Rhino huffed and swiftly slammed her to the ground. "That good enough for ya?" 

"Yep." She croaked, getting to her feet. With all her strength she let out a devastating punch onto the Rhino's tough hide. She quickly regretted it and let out a loud howl of pain. She recoiled her hand and stared at it. The hand itself had fallen limp, dangling uselessly like some sort of mouldy banana,

Rhino laughed. "Nice one. I almost felt it."

Sandman landed behind her. She groaned, "This is gonna fucking suck. I'd take dealing with my shitty love life over this." 

She felt Rhino's large hand grab her by the wrist and haul her up, holding her out in front of Sandman. He hand morphed into a long and sharp blade. 

"Oh great... You're going to kill me." 

"I just wanna make this clear from the get-go," Sandman said, "I don't wanna do this."

"Then don't. It's that simple." 

"I can't, not if I want to see my daughter again."

Rhino dangled her closer, "Hurry it up, Marko. We ain't got all day." 

He sighed and held the blade up to her throat. 

"Y'know, when they find my body your gonna get done for killing a minor, yeah?" 

Sandman faltered, "What?" 

She shot her leg off his chest, propelling the man backwards. She twisted her body and her broken hand slipped right through the Rhino's hand like butter. Quickly, she jumped out of the hole, a wave of sand following her. Clementine dashed from the hole, each footstep thundering. Finally, she reached the edge of the roof and launched. She landed on a higher roof and Sandman tackled her. They went sprawling across the dirty roof. 

She rolled and her back hit the support beams of a water tower. She mustered up the strength to stand. Placing her hand the beams. Her eyes widened as a mallet of sand sliced through the air. She ducked and it took out a support beam. She rolled under him and punched, the strike going through him and taking out another beam. She went to punch him in the chest and her hand went through and got stuck. 

Uselessly, she pulled and pulled. Sandman smirked and a mallet hit her in the chest. She went flying backwards, scraping her back on the roof. 

Sandman towered over her, "You gotta do what you gotta do, I'm sorry."

She glared and shot a web past him, sticking it to the water tower, "Like you said, you gotta do what you gotta do." 

She pulled and the water tower fell. It crashed heavily on top of them, water spilling out and flooding the roof in an explosion of liquid. Clementine recovered quickly. Sandman wasn't sand anymore, just a puddle of mud. He couldn't even stand up, his body crumbling under his weight. 

The adrenaline faded and pain rocketed into her broken hand. She nursed the limp limb and swore. How was she going to hide this? 

"I hope you see your daughter again, I really do. If you need help finding her, you know where to find me." She spoke, getting a surprised look from Sandman. 

"The name's Flint, kid." 

"See you around, Flint. Don't try and kill me next time, yeah?"

"We'll see." 

"That's about what I expected really." 


	11. Time to zoo-m! - 1

Clementine sighed, sitting down on a park bench. Her broken hand encased in silky white sling. She shifted as AJ sat down next to her, his shoulder meeting her side, and a vanilla ice cream in his paws. AJ licked the treat as she draped an arm over him, holding him close. 

It had been his idea to come to Central Park. AJ had wanted a break from the bustling streets and other kids. He had never been the most social, choosing instead to keep his head low and avoid trouble. She was glad AJ had finally found a friend in Tenn. He was sweet, but his older sister?

Well, that was the problem. Minerva and her got along like humans and the bubonic plague. Clementine was determined to put up with the redhead's shit if it meant AJ could finally have a friend.

"Remember when I was telling you about that guy who tried to rob a store with a paintball gun?" She asked. 

AJ nodded rapidly. 

"Well, the guy managed to hit me right on the ass. Bruised it and everything." She chuckled. "The stain still hasn't left the suit three washes later."

Grinning, AJ looked up at her. A question brewing at the end of his lips. "Really? How'd he hit you?" 

"Broken hand. I tried to stick to the ceiling with it and I couldn't. Got shot whilst I was a heap on the floor." She smirked cockily. "I guess my ass is just that distracting." 

She smiled as AJ giggled, his shoulders bouncing up and down in tiny waves. It felt like a weight had been lowered off her shoulders when she slumped further into the park bench. Her amber eyes scanned the glimmering reflections in the surface of the lake. It was almost funny how since she had gained superpowers, her life had become significantly worse. Lee died, a shooting in her school and a broken hand.

She took a deep breath, inhaling all the oxygen she could.

And the whole mess with Violet. A breathless chuckle escaped her lips as she laughed at what her life had become. AJ seemed to notice something was wrong and offered her a worried glance. 

"I'm fine, kid." She said weakly, unsure on who she was trying to reassure; her or AJ. "Just... I was thinking. What's your opinion on Violet?"

AJ paused, looking away at the lake. "You like her. That makes her pretty good in my book." 

Clementine nodded silently. "Yeah... I do..." She shook her head, blinking back into focus. "And Minerva?" 

"She's mean," AJ replied instantly. "She's always doing stuff that Tenn doesn't like. Like Forcing him to go to the shops with her or leave the orphanage whenever she does. Tenn wants to be left alone, and she won't let him."

"That annoys you, huh?" 

AJ nodded. "Tenn prefers you way more than he does Minnie. She swears a lot. You aren't as strict as her too, and your punishments aren't as bad. You also listen to us."

Clementine smiled, "Well, I do buy you two ice cream."

"It sucks that Tenn had to head home so soon." 

She pulled AJ closer to her. "You'll see him tomorrow." 

They both went mute, basking in the setting sun and the chilled breeze. Clementine attempted to choke the yawn growing from the depths of her ribs, distorting her face to do so, but failing anyway. AJ snickered at her, and she playfully glared at him. 

"Let's head back, shall we?" She asked, standing and stretching; wincing slightly at the pulled muscle in her leg. She rubbed it tenderly and began to limp down the path, AJ rushing behind her. 

Central Park was oddly quiet tonight. The grass was as green as ever, and the air was still the cleanest in all of New York, but it seemed oddly barren, and Clementine couldn't quite put her finger on why. She didn't mind it though, quite the opposite, it was calming. 

She just wished her thoughts would stop straying to Violet. The blonde was refusing to leave her head. Sticking around like an unwanted child at your birthday party, and jamming their grimy fingers into whatever they can clutch.

It annoyed her.

Clementine growled as a massive wave of aggression overtook her, her fists balled up and suddenly she swung around, punching a hole through a tree. The bark snapped apart, and the tree creaked as it smashed to the ground with a crashing boom. All that was left still standing was the stump. Her eyes widened dramatically, and she quickly looked around, making sure no-one saw what she had just done. An odd sense of guilt burrowed into her heart at AJ's frightful expression.

"S-Sorry..." She muttered. "I feel like a useless sack of dog shit right now. I should be out there helping people and I can't because I broke my fucking wrist punching a walking slab of concrete."

"That's the first time I've seen you do anything outside of the suit..." AJ uttered, a sense of awe playing off his tongue. 

"But you've seen my do things in the suit..." 

"Yeah, but I've never been able to match your face up to it." AJ laughed, his fear from earlier had evaporated. "That was so cool!"

* * *

"I gotta ask," Violet said, turning to Minerva, "What the hell do you even get out of this?"

The room at the orphanage was small. In the rotten wall there sat a lonely window; cracked, and the blinds were half-shut. Almost zero personal belongings in sight, except for the hoodie that used to belong to Sophie laid to rest over the back of the swivel chair. The blonde could feel it against her back whenever she leaned away from the blinding brightness of the computer screen. Her eyes were stinging from lack of sleep. 

Minerva glared at her from her position on the bed. "I've already told you, she gets the hate that she deserves."

Violet sighed, "She can't be everywhere at once..." 

"She wasn't even doing anything at the time. I checked. Nobody has seen sightings of her anywhere in the city recently. Completely nothing for the past couple days. She shows up, fights someone and then fucks off again." 

"I'm sure there's a reason-" 

Minerva shot up, marching over to her. "You're just like everyone else in this fucking city, aren't you? Sucking up to her because she 'saved' the day! She took out one freak with electric powers, and then fucking disappeared."

"Look, Minnie," She took a deep breath, bracing, "I-I don't feel comfortable creating this..."

There was a deafening silence as Minerva scowled. Suddenly, she felt her head get smacked to the side, her cheek prickling. She carried a hand up to the area that Minerva had just hit, nursing it. 

"Do me a fuckin' favour, Violet." Minerva sneered, "Shut the fuck up and create that fucking page. She killed Sophie."

Violet swallowed, a tear brewing in the corner of her eye. She nodded and turned back to the computer. Creating a hate page on Spider-Woman wasn't exactly something she saw herself doing, ever.

Minerva continued, "She should've stopped him. She's dead because of her."

Violet went to speak back, but wisely shut her mouth. She wouldn't dare pin the blame on Minerva. She wouldn't dare mention that she was one of the ones bullying Johnny in the first place. The blonde sighed, and worked for a couple more minutes, her fingers gliding across the keyboard with experience. Years of gaming does that to you. 

She pressed enter and sunk into the seat. Minerva's arms draped over her shoulders, and she felt the other girl's lips press against her cheek softly. 

"Thanks, Vi," Minerva spoke.

She nodded, standing up. "My dad's gonna be wondering where I'm gone. I need to head back now."

Minerva whined. "He can wait."

Violet sighed again, feeling Minerva hug her from behind.

"I love you, Vi."

"I-I know... but dad's been takin' the divorce hard and-" 

"I just said he can wait." 

"Minerva." She groaned, wiggling out of the taller's arm. Her fingers curled around the door handle. "I'm going. I'm sorry about Sophie. I know she meant a lot to you."

She opened the door and left before Minerva could utter a reply, shutting it behind her with the weight of her bony shoulder. Last week had been stressful. If Minerva knew what she did with Clementine... 

She shivered and wondered who would find her body the next morning. Shutting her tired eyes, she brushed a palm over her face, hissing when she touched her red cheek. She winced. That was going to bruise, and she would have to find a way to hide it from her dad. 

Violet left the orphanage and into the busy streets of New York, not looking back at the building. She pulled up her black hood and hid in the shadow it cast over her face, ducking into an alleyway. Her emerald eyes scanned the brick wall, looking for something. 

The bin toward the end of the alley rattled, and caught her attention. She casually approached it and opened the lid. A black, pulsating sludge bounced around. 

"Hey, little guy, I got you something." She dangled a rat out of her pocket and dropped it in. A stringy tendril snapped out and caught the dead mammal, snatching it into its mass. She smiled as it seemed to grow in size before going back to normal. The substance let off a strange purr. 

"I still don't know where you came from." Violet said, "Genetic experiment?" She asked. 

It rattled. 

"Alien species?" 

It pulsated faster, and Violet grinned. 

"Sweet. Are you feeling back to your usual self yet? That must of been a hard fall."

It rattled, angry. 

"That sucks." She smiled sympathetically, "It was good seeing you. I'll be back again tomorrow. Just... Just stay in the bin and out of sight. God knows what the Oscorp would do if they learned about you."

* * *

  
Louis watched from behind a thick wall of bullet-proof glass as his dad helped strap in a colleague to a metal chair. He had long raven hair that reached just below his shoulders, he was pale and looked incredibly sickly. His skin was bone white and clung to him like a sheet. Louis thought that he could rip him in half if he so desired. The man was that fragile. 

Metal bars enclosed around his bare chest, and the man trembled against the cold. 

"Michael. This is dangerous, are you sure? None of the compounds are stable. Anything could happen." Norman asked. 

Michael nodded. "Yes. This... disease... that inflicts me isn't a way to live."

Norman hesitantly approached a control pad. Its two buttons large. Red and Blue respectably. Stop and go. His hand hovered over the blue button, and he pressed it down. 

Louis followed the crackles of electricity as they flowed through the coils on the wall that lead to the chair. His dad left the room, and he felt him appear by his side. 

"When you said you wanted me to join you for an experiment did you mean watching you execute a man via electric chair?"

Norman sighed, "That isn't what's happening. Dr Micheal Morbius here has a rare genetic disorder and has devoted his entire life to cure. He thinks this is it. The needles in his arms are injecting radioactively charged solutions directly into his bloodstream that will counteract the effects of his condition. Mixing it with electricity will help the bonding process."

"Not a single word of what you said made a lick of sense. Congratulations, dad."

* * *

Clementine smiled in relief as she tensed her hand. It had healed really fast. Not even thinking twice, she slapped on her web-shooters, threw the sling in the trash and grabbed her mask. She pushed the fabric into her pocket and dashed into her room. 

She approached the small, unsuspecting wardrobe and pulled out her spider-suit. Her fingers lingered over the blue and red. She tossed her mask and the suit onto her bed and quickly threw off her clothes, getting changed into it. The lenses squinted into focus. 

She aimed her wrist at the wall and shot a quick web at it. Smirking as it connected and stuck. She lifted her window before calling out to AJ. "I'll be back later, Goofball!" 

She dived out the window and swung off a lamp post; she whooped as she went high into the air and pulled herself over the roof of a house. She slid down the slope and launched off it, twisting through the air and landing on another building. She ran across it and hopped off the end, finally making it into the city. 

She swung low to the ground, grazing her hand against the concrete, and then running along the side of a yellow bus. She pushed off a taxi sign with her hands and attached a web to either side of a building, slingshotting through the sky like a bullet. The wind blazed past her, creating ripples in the near skintight suit. Clementine giggled as she landed on the top of a tall building, overlooking the city. 

The best part of her new life? Swinging. 

"If I was a big, angry rhino, where would I be?" She hummed, analysing the streets. Then, she saw it, a bulk of grey charging down the road. Crashing into cars like they were tissue paper. She smirked, "Looks like it's hunting season..." 

Clementine plummeted, and at the last possible second, she caught herself and swung toward the Rhino. In a blur of movement, she landed on his back. 

"How you doing, pal? I missed you." 

Rhino growled. "My day was going good until you showed up." 

She webbed him in the face and jumped off as he slowed down. His massive feet left trenches in the road. She crouched down low to the ground as the Rhino turned around, and effortlessly pulled the web of his face. 

"Awww," She taunted, "That was a good look on you."

"I'm going to crush you, bug." 

"Arachnid!" 

"No matter!" Rhino roared, running at her. She tried to flip over him, but felt concrete grasp around her ankle. She yelped as she was suddenly slammed into the ground. Rhino picked her back up and crashed her head through a wall.

A family of four were sat inside. "Hello." She greeted simply before being dragged back out and thrown across the street into the side of a car. She groaned and peeled herself out of the Clementine-sized dent; landing on all fours. 

"I think I broke my everything bone..." 

The Rhino laughed, brushing his foot against the ground as if he was revving up. He barreled at her, storming with heavy thuds. She pulled herself out of the way with a web as the Rhino crashed through where she just was. She perched on a nearby traffic light, cocking her head.

How was she supposed to take out a walking, talking tank? It would have to be hot under all that hide... She could dehydrate him. "Hey, Moron! Try and catch me!" 

She leapt off the traffic light and began swinging, hauling herself around corners and through alleyways. Laughter erupted from her mouth as she looked back and saw the Rhino gasping for breath like an overgrown puppy. 

"Having fun?" 

"No!" 

She laughed at the beads of sweat on his forehead and swung around a lampost. Her feet connected with the underside of his jaw and the man tumbled. Knocked out. 

Clementine landed next to the Rhino, approaching him and tapping him on the nose. The man was out cold. Dead to the world. Shrugging, she turned to one of the frightened bystanders; an old lady with a leather purse and a pair of smart glasses. 

"Can you fill the police in on what happened?" She asked.

The lady nodded slowly, and Clementine gave her a thumbs up before taking off. 

It felt great to be back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been 3000 years...


	12. Under The Skin

Clementine swung around the thin metal spike on top of the empire state building and stared at Oscorp once she perched on it. Her spider-sense was going nuts, drilling into the base of her skull. It was warning of a danger that had yet to pass, much like with Lee's untimely death. This time, she would listen to it. 

All the signs were pointing at Oscorp. She watched as the neon purple O's power fizzled out. She braced, waiting for something to happen. It was a long, drawn-out pause of nothing until a ball of fire ruptured through the rows of glass. A whole chunk of Oscorp suddenly missing. Her lenses expanded, and she quickly dived off the building, swinging through the streets.

The people below were in a crazed panic, all of their mobile phones pointed at Oscorp. She landed near the bottom of the building and looked up. The fire was wild and raging like an angry bull. It swallowed segments of the building in massive chunks of flames. The blaze lit up the darkness of the sky in a spectacular, vibrant orange. She ignored the camera flashes and ran up the building, her gentle feet tapping lightly against the rows upon rows of windows. She jumped off and shot a web either side of the giant hole and pulled herself inside, sliding to a stop. 

Red lights blared, and the ear-piercing alarm bounced off the hallways. Fire ruptured through the walls, and the sprinklers dropped water to no effect. The fire wasn't dying, just growing. At this rate, Oscorp was going to burn down. Clementine pushed further in, looking for people. 

She may hate Oscorp, but that didn't mean everyone working there deserved to die.

She entered a room with a large, steel chair in the middle. Bars that looked like they were supposed to wrap around someone's torso; had been snapped off. She went to touch, and her spider-sense activated. Clementine's hand hovered over the metal, static danced between it and her fingertips. She moved her hand away, and her sixth sense died down. 

Curious, she followed the wire leading from the chair and up to a control panel. 

Had they been executing people? 

She shivered, and hopped into the frame of an overlooking window. Bloodstains marred the walls of the room inside and spilt coffee puddled in the corner. A solitary black door waited for her, daring her to open it. She stepped in and picked up a notepad. 

"Adrian Toomes?" She whispered, reading it. "Subject has willingly submitted himself to this dangerous experiment. All effects will be monitored and recorded." She paused. "DNA splicing with that of a bird of prey? The fuck..."

She let the notepad fall to the floor and glared at the door. It was suddenly a lot menacing. Hesitantly, she wrapped her hand around the handle and tried to open it. The door didn't move, jammed shut by something on the other side. 

Clementine backed away, lowered her shoulder and barged into it. The door flung open and off its hinges. The toppled power generator on the other side crashed as it slid across the floor and into the wall. She stood in the doorway, peering into the abyss. It was pitch black in that room, and she could see nothing. The wet sounds of tearing, chewing, pecking, ruffling and swallowing reverberated around her in haunting echoes, distant cries for help that never received their single wish. 

She tensed as the mangled corpse of a scientist splashed on the ground in front of her. The flesh had been picked clean from his arms and his back. Everywhere else had been ravaged by sharp talons. A loud shriek erupted, her spider-sense tingled, and yet no matter how much Clementine tried, she couldn't move.

Suddenly, a blur blasted into her, and she flew backwards, crashing through wall after wall after wall and finally, a wall made of fire. She slapped her forearms, flattening the flames and leaving small char marks as she fell backwards, hurtling toward the concrete jungle. She looked up to see an abomination. He was an amalgamation of skin, feathers, machinery and wires. A red visor fell over one sinister beady black eye, and he had the wingspan mirroring that of a biplane. Each feather tip laced in unsightly gun-grey metal, blending into the deep green. Talons, thick and sharp, were welded onto his legs as if they were nothing more than an afterthought. 

Whatever had become of Adrian Toomes, he wasn't human, not anymore. His wings folded backwards, and he  screamed as he plummeted down. Her fingertips brushed against Oscorp, and that was enough to stick her to the wall. She hugged the wall as Toomes barreled past her. 

Toomes swooped upwards, avoiding a horrible collision with the ground, and black, crackling energy drenched his wings. Suddenly, he turned, looked at her and flapped his wings. Her lenses widened as feathers ejected from him and flew at her. She pushed off the building and twirled between the large projectiles. She shot a web at Toomes chest and pulled herself onto him. Clementine crawled onto his back and punched him in the head. Their altitude dropped significantly, and she soon found herself rolling across the roof of an apartment building following a devastating crash.

She pushed herself to her feet as Toomes shrieked into the night sky and started flying away. She flicked her wrist and caught him in the back with her webbing. Clementine yelped in surprise as her feet left the ground. Looking up, she could see Toomes glaring at her as they ascended. Toomes stopped, and she flew up past him, her limbs sprawling in the bitter air.

She cried out hoarsely in pain as a claw penetrated through the soft flesh of her shoulder. She gripped it, letting go of the web. She pushed her leg against him and gritted her teeth as she painfully extracted the spike from her shoulder, and she fell toward the city below. 

She shot a web that attached itself to Toomes' eyes, blinding him as he nose-dived past her. She webbed herself to his back and began punching him in the back of his head. Toomes growled and started twirling at a rapid speed. She wrapped her legs around him and held on for dear life. 

The wind was loud, and the city was drawing nearer and nearer and nearer. A welt of panic began to creep from within her soul as Toomes didn't slow down, even as they dipped below the skyline. Suddenly, Toomes swerved to the right, extending his wings and flying parallel to a building. Clementine swore as she saw an ally approaching, an alley that was too thin for her and Toomes to both fit. She let go of the mutated human and bounced off the ground below, crashing through a bin and rolling to a stop. 

Clementine groaned and pushed herself onto shaky limbs. "Ow..." She muttered, gripping her injured shoulder and rolling it. She looked up only to see that Toomes had disappeared into the night. "Fuck... Jameson is going to love this..."

Her spider-sense spiked, deafening all of her senses. She stumbled and fell against the wall. Then, as soon as it appeared, it was gone, and her enhanced senses were back. For some reason, other than the flying bird-man, she felt like she had just fucked up in a catastrophic way.

* * *

Venom dragged its way across the asphalt with spitting tentacles, away from the red and blue-clad figure that had freed it and toward the open sewer cover that sat alone in the middle of the road. It gargled as the heavy wheels of a car crushed it. Soon, its shape re-formed and it fell into the sewer with a heavy splat.

It wobbled like jelly and waited as a curious little rat approached, sniffing at the alien substance. The rat started to run away, and that was when the sludge pounced. A mass of black surrounded the rat and swallowed it whole.

" Strange little creature... " The sludge muttered, its voice emitting from nowhere and everywhere all at once. It was deep, and hints of gravel crept into its tone. " Disease ridden, but tasty... "

A groan followed by a piercing shriek exploded from nearby, and the sludge cried out in great pain, and its structure looked like it was being ripped apart, stringy black tendrils holding on to its collapsing anatomy. The sounds of rushing and heavy, oddly wet, sounds filled the tunnels and the black moved to investigate. It rounded the corner and saw a lifeless husk of what used to be a young woman. Her eyes, once teeming with youthful life, had sunk into her skull like sinkholes. Her white as a sheet skin was clammy, wrapping tightly around her bones. Two holes were located at the base of her exposed neck, dripping scarlet blood into the sewage. 

The symbiote dragged itself to the corpse and suddenly dived through the two holes. No thoughts of what terrifying beast could've caused such a thing to this poor girl entered its head, no. All Venom focused on was wrapping around her blood-drained organs, her heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas and intestines and consuming them all. 

Humans were quickly becoming Venom's favourite snack.

* * *

Clementine grunted as she rolled her shoulder. A bloodstained bandage underneath her jacket, wrapped around the shoulder she had just adjusted. She was dressed in civilian clothes and on her way to the Daily Bugle in hopes of some quick work before she had to flee to Conner's lab in time for her internship, she couldn't be late again. 

She made it to an intersection and came face to face with a crowd of people blocking her way. All of them watching emergency services filled the middle of the road. Police barricades were up, halting the flow of traffic. She grimaced, what was going on? 

Clementine pushed through the crowd, hissing as a flying arm hit her in the shoulder. She glared at the offender and kept going, stepping around a pram with a crying baby inside. Finally, she made it to the police barricade, pushing her hands onto it and gripping it tightly in case someone nudged into her. Her enhanced senses picked up the sound of loud, rapid banging against the sewer cover. She watched intently as a police officer bravely approached it and hesitated before opening it. She quickly came up with a bright idea. Her hands worked through her backpack, pulling out a new camera. One she had bought after her other one had gotten damaged beyond repair. 

The officer stared into the black abyss, and that was when a woman with pitch-black eyes and two bloodied holes in her neck leapt out, and hold onto the officer's wrist with a vice grip. Clementine quickly snapped a photo. The woman shrieked and begun to convulse, her head rearing back, and the black in her eyes spilling out. She fell back into the sewer and hit the ground with a heavy thud. 

Clementine gripped onto the barricade hard enough that she could begin to hear it bend under her fingers, and watched with wide eyes as the police officer suddenly straightened, snapping upwards with inhuman mobility and stopping, breaking his momentum in an instant. For a brief moment, his eyes flashed black, but when Clementine blinked, it was gone. Convinced that it was nothing but a mere trick of her mind, she kept watching as the officer left the scene, his knees unmoving, leaving his legs moving as if they were planks of wood, jointless. The officer got suddenly stopped by one of his coworkers. 

"What happened?" She heard him whisper. 

"Just a drug addict. Coked off her mind." The officer responded snappishly and glaring. "Now, let me pass. I got a wife and kid to get back to." 

"What drug makes your eyes go black..." Clementine spoke to herself.

The other officer flinched and buckled under the weight of the man's glare. "S-Sorry, go ahead. We'll handle it from her." 

The officer nodded his approval, clambered into his car, and sped away, dangerously fast. 

"What the fuck..." Clementine muttered under her breath. She pocketed the camera. "Jameson is gonna love this."

* * *

Jameson did not, in fact, 'love this'. He hated it. 

"Why would I use this... crap!" 

"Because it's not what the police think it is," Clementine argued back. "Whatever happened here," Clementine pointed at the woman's black eyes on the printed out photograph. "This was not drugs." 

Jameson sighed. "I'm not using it."

"Aren't you supposed to report the truth?"

Jameson slammed his hands on his desk and rose from his seat. "We're a tabloid newspaper! I don't care about the truth." He spat. "I care about the money, and staying afloat, and not getting sued is the way I get what I want. As the publisher, it is my job to make sure that happens! This incident is looking like something the mayor wants to keep under wraps. All people who were present are were handed out NDA's. Expect yours soon."

"How do you know all this?" 

"I've got my sources, Everett. Unless you got pictures of Spider-Woman, get out of my sight." He sat back down and stared at her. He gestured at the desk. "Well?"

Clementine sighed, and very reluctantly placed two photographs on the desk. One was her being unceremoniously tossed through the air by the Rhino. The other was of her webbing some random mugger to a wall. Jameson instantly grabbed the one of her getting her ass kicked, and Clementine rolled her eyes. Of course he would choose that one. 

"Perfect!" Jameson exclaimed, slamming two hundred bucks on the desk.

Clementine eyed money. "Is that it? The New York Times would pay me double of this for their freelancers."

"For that stupid little attempt to drop sales and potentially put all the fine people who work here out of a job because the Bugle goes under from a brutal onslaught of lawsuits? Your pay is getting docked."

"But-" 

"Out! Before I fire you! And whilst you're out there, get Miss Brant in here. I need him for something."

Clementine watched him silently. "Fine..." She took the money and left, slamming the door behind her. 

"Kids..." Jameson tutted.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh God, let's hope this didn't turn out an ultimate cringe-fest... 
> 
> Anyhow... 
> 
> I'll be treating this like a TV series. Each arc being treated like an episode. Basically, this means I can keep this going for as long as I want or end it when I want. In a ‘villain of the arc’ sorta way.
> 
> In case you didn't notice, this is heavily inspired by The Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon. Hence, Electro's design. Obviously, it won't be a shameless ripoff, I am doing my own 'episodes' and drawing from other materials.
> 
> Now, to clear some things up... 
> 
> Violet and Clementine are not together, yet. Please don't mistake her for Gwen. Louis is pretty much Harry Osborne in this. Another thing, Clementine is NOT Peter Parker in this. Alright? I see this a lot in fics like this. They are not the same character, and as such, shouldn't be treated as the same. 
> 
> BUT I am trying to capture the essence of a Spider-Man story so... Clem's spider life WILL mess with her personal life.


End file.
